Writing Book 7 · Lesson 4
Key quantifying expressions — bring the words back
A quantity you did not measure has to be described honestly — which means saying how sure you are.
The words
the vast majority of
almost all
a significant proportion of
a large part of
a negligible amount of
hardly any
a minority of
fewer than half
Watch how it is built
1the vast majority of means about the same as almost all.
The vast majority of samples were clean.
2a significant proportion of means about the same as a large part of.
A significant proportion of the crop failed.
3a negligible amount of means about the same as hardly any.
A negligible amount of salt remained.
Two ways to say it
✗ The vast majority of samples were clean. — this is not wrong, but it is everyday talk.
✓ The vast majority of samples were clean. — this is how a writer says it.
Ask yourself: “Do I actually know the number, or am I estimating it?”
Remember
How much do you actually know, and how sure are you?
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