Describing quantities

The language for writing about quantities can be a complex area for non-native speakers because there are many combinations of short grammar words, such as prepositions and pronouns, and these can easily be confused. Many of the phrases given below also contain approximators such as: nearly, approximately, over half, less than, just over.

Describing fractions

Over half of those surveyed indicated that …
Nearly half of the respondents (48%) agreed that …
Approximately half of those 
surveyed did not comment on …
Less than a third of 
those who responded (32%) indicated that …
The number of first marriages in the United Kingdom fell by nearly two-fifths.
Of the 148 patients who completed the questionnaire, just over half indicated that …

 

Well over
More than
Just over
Many more than

Around
Almost
As many as
Approximately

Just under
Less than
Fewer than
Well under

half
a third
a quarter
of those surveyed
of the respondents
of those who responded

agreed that …

Describing proportions

Singapore has the highest proportion of millionaire households.
The annual birth rate dropped from 44.4 to 38.6 per 1000 per annum.
The proportion of live births outside marriage reached one in ten in 1945.
Scotland had the lowest proportion of lone parents at only 14 per cent.
The proportion of the population attending emergency departments was 65% higher in X than …

Describing percentages

70% of those who were interviewed indicated that …
Since 1981, England has experienced an 89% increase in crime.
The response rate was 60% at six months and 56% at 12 months.
In 1960 just over 5% of live births in 1960 were outside marriage.
Returned surveys from 34 radiologists yielded a 34% response rate.
He also noted that fewer than 10% of the articles included in his study cited …
With each year of advancing age, the probability of having X increased by 9.6% (p = 0.006).
The mean income of the bottom 20 percent of U.S. families declined from $10,716 in 1970 to …
X found that of 2,500 abortions, 58% were in young women aged 15-24, of whom 62% were …

 

Well over
More than
Just over
Many more than

Around
Almost
Approximately

Just under
Less than
Fewer than
Well under

40%
50%
80%
of those surveyed
of the respondents
of those who responded

agreed that …

Describing averages

The average of 12 observations in the X, Y and Z is 19.2 mgs/m …
This figure can be seen as the average life expectancy at various ages.
The proposed model suggests a steep decline in mean life expectancy …
Roman slaves probably had a lower than average life expectancy.
The mean age of Xs with coronary atherosclerosis was 48.3 ± 6.3 years.
Mean estimated age at death was 38.1 ± 12.0 years (ranging from 10 to 60+ years)
The mean score for X was subjected to multivariate analysis of variance to determine …
The mean income of the bottom 20 percent of U.S. families declined from $10,716 in 1970 to …

Describing ranges

Estimates of X range from 200,000 to 700,000 and up to a million or more.
The respondents had practised for an average of 15 years (range 6 to 35 years).
The participants were aged 19 to 25 and were from both rural and urban backgrounds.
Rates of decline ranged from 2.71– 0.08 cms per day with a mean of 0.97 cms per day.
They calculated ranges of journal use from 10.7%–36.4% for the humanities, 25%–57% for …
The evidence shows that life expectancy from birth lies in the range of twenty to thirty years.
At between 575 and 590 metres depth, the sea floor is extremely flat, with an average slope of …
The mean income of the bottom 20 percent of U.S. families declined from $10,716 to $9,833.