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Hole One a New See Posted 13 years ago
Grammar
Decrease, decline, fall
Hi everybody,
I would like to differentiate these three words from each other in the following 'situation-type'.
It was a task in one of my English grammar book.
The task was the following:
"Underline the words which can express changing situation, then use them to make sentences with the phrases given below."
The sentences which used these words were (copied from the 'answer key' section of the book):
"1. The population of Hungary is falling.
2. The number of students who learn Russian is decreasing.
3. The rate of exports to the Eastern markets is declining.
4. The size of the rain forests is decreasing."
The defition of the word 'decrease' is the following (in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary):
"to become or make something become smaller in size, number, etc"
Based on this definition, I would use it in the first sentence (become smaller in number), too, but the answer key contains the 'fall' word.
The definiton of word 'decline' (in intransitive case):
"to become smaller, fewer, weaker, etc"
I could imagine this one in the first (fewer), second (fewer) and fourth (smaller in size) sentences, too.
One definition of 'fall' (in intransitive case) is the following:
"to decrease in amount, number or strength"
Based on this definiton I would use it in the second (decrease in number) sentence, too.
Maybe the book requires the most appropriate word, but I can't decide it obviously.
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Thanks for your help in advance
I would like to differentiate these three words from each other in the following 'situation-type'.
It was a task in one of my English grammar book.
The task was the following:
"Underline the words which can express changing situation, then use them to make sentences with the phrases given below."
The sentences which used these words were (copied from the 'answer key' section of the book):
"1. The population of Hungary is falling.
2. The number of students who learn Russian is decreasing.
3. The rate of exports to the Eastern markets is declining.
4. The size of the rain forests is decreasing."
The defition of the word 'decrease' is the following (in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary):
"to become or make something become smaller in size, number, etc"
Based on this definition, I would use it in the first sentence (become smaller in number), too, but the answer key contains the 'fall' word.
The definiton of word 'decline' (in intransitive case):
"to become smaller, fewer, weaker, etc"
I could imagine this one in the first (fewer), second (fewer) and fourth (smaller in size) sentences, too.
One definition of 'fall' (in intransitive case) is the following:
"to decrease in amount, number or strength"
Based on this definiton I would use it in the second (decrease in number) sentence, too.
Maybe the book requires the most appropriate word, but I can't decide it obviously.
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Thanks for your help in advance
Top answer
The only real difference I can see between the words is that only "decrease" can be transitive. You can decrease the amount of sugar in a recipe, but you can't decline or fall it. There may be a factor involving the figurative nature of "falling" and "declining".
- The only real difference I can see between the words is that only "decrease" can be transitive.
- You can decrease the amount of sugar in a recipe, but you can't decline or fall it.
- There may be a factor involving the figurative nature of "falling" and "declining".
- For instance, I would not say that the population is falling.
- It is the number of people that is falling, not the population.
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2 Answers
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The only real difference I can see between the words is that only "decrease" can be transitive. You can decrease the amount of sugar in a recipe, but you can't decline or fall it.
There may be a factor involving the figurative nature of "falling" and "declining". For instance, I would not say that the population is falling. It is the number of people that is falling, not the population.
There may be a factor involving the figurative nature of "falling" and "declining". For instance, I would not say that the population is falling. It is the number of people that is falling, not the population.
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Thank you very much.
It was suspicious. The monolingual dictionary writes something similar.
It was suspicious. The monolingual dictionary writes something similar.
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