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Taka Posted 20 years ago
Grammar
every
In that country, only one or two in every thousand people divorce every year.
If I ommit 'every' above (i.e. In that country, only one or two in one thousand people divorce every year), does it still make sense?
If I ommit 'every' above (i.e. In that country, only one or two in one thousand people divorce every year), does it still make sense?
Top answer
" By the way, if this is a real example, since when you have a divorce, TWO people get divorced, that sentence might be better rephrased regarding married couples. If it were really one one in a thousand people, then you'd need two thousand to get to the two people in the divorce.
- " By the way, if this is a real example, since when you have a divorce, TWO people get divorced, that sentence might be better rephrased regarding married couples.
- If it were really one one in a thousand people, then you'd need two thousand to get to the two people in the divorce.
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6 Answers
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Yes, but more natural would be "only one or two in a thousand" or "only one or two per thousand."
By the way, if this is a real example, since when you have a divorce, TWO people get divorced, that sentence might be better rephrased regarding married couples. If it were really one one in a thousand people, then you'd need two thousand to get to the two people in the divorce.
By the way, if this is a real example, since when you have a divorce, TWO people get divorced, that sentence might be better rephrased regarding married couples. If it were really one one in a thousand people, then you'd need two thousand to get to the two people in the divorce.
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Grammar GeekYes, but more natural would be "only one or two in a thousand" or "only one or two per thousand."So, 'every' is optional, is it?
What about 'Out of a thousand, only one or two'? Is it also natural, without 'every' in front of 'thousand'?
Grammar GeekBy the way, if this is a real example, since when you have a
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Strictly speaking, the every is still optional, but for some reason, when you invert the order, as you have done, it sounds better to have it.
I was thinking about this after I posted. "One in a thousand" can be almost an idiom for "very, very few" but if you say "one in every thousand" is sounds more scientific. It's as though the first ("a thousand") is an estimate, but the seco
I was thinking about this after I posted. "One in a thousand" can be almost an idiom for "very, very few" but if you say "one in every thousand" is sounds more scientific. It's as though the first ("a thousand") is an estimate, but the seco
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"Every year" is a little ambiguous. It suggests serial divorce on that 0.1%'s part.
MrP
MrP
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Grammar GeekYes, but more natural would be "only one or two in a thousand" or "only one or two per thousand."
By the way, if this is a real example, since when you have a divorce, TWO people get divorced, that sentence might be better rephrased regarding married couples. If it were really one one in a thousand people, then you'd need two thousand to
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The one one was an error. Typing too fast. I mean to say only one. Sorry.
Get to: to arrive at. I meant that if you have a couple who divorces, that's two people. If only one in a thousand divorce, you'd need two thousand people to get a population large enough for that one couple (=two people) to balance the equation.
Get to: to arrive at. I meant that if you have a couple who divorces, that's two people. If only one in a thousand divorce, you'd need two thousand people to get a population large enough for that one couple (=two people) to balance the equation.
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