How much percent /What percent/percentage???

Question

How would you say these 2 sentences?How much percent alcohol is vodka?/What percent alcohol is vodka?/How much alcohol percenage does vodka have?Alcohol doesn't freezes above what percent? /What percent does alcohol no longer freeze above?Thank you

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

alc24~~How much percent alcohol is vodka?~~/What percent alcohol is vodka?/~~How much alcohol percenage does vodka have?~~
~~Alcohol doesn't freezes above what percent?~~ /What percent does alcohol no longer freeze above?

What percent alcohol is vodka? / What percent of vodka is alcohol?
What percent of alcohol is needed in a mixture to prevent it from freezing?

CJ

Alc24 · Answer

Thank you

I'm not talking about a mixture.

I'm taking about vodka or whisky bottle.

What percent does alcohol no longer freeze above? (it sounds weird??)

I keep reading it out loud and I don't understand why "above" is at the end. How would you say it and does it sound natural?

Is it just like the following sentence

What time are you open until? the "until" being the "above" or does it not work like the "until" sentence

The "above" at the end sounds off to me. Or does it not?

what about "Above" at the beginning?

Above what percent does alcohol no longer freeze?

Thank you

CalifJim · Answer

alc24The "above" at the end sounds off to me.

To me too, but that's not really the problem. I think the problem is partly a problem of logic and science, not grammar. You say it's not a matter of a mixture, but if you are talking about a percent, then the only time you don't have a mixture is if you have 0% or 100%. Suppose the vodka is 70% alcohol. What's the other 30%? You can't just have X%. It has to be X% OF something. In that previous post I wrote that sentence with the word "mixture" to call your attention to this fact. I have more on this later, if you're interested.

You suggest this: Above what percent does alcohol no longer freeze? That is OK grammatically -- even if you move above to the end.

__________________________
If you are only interested in the grammar of
"Above what percent ...?" and "What percent ... above?",
you can stop reading here.

The problem is that that sentence is not answerable scientifically. In the real world, it depends what the alcohol is a percent of. If you have alcohol and water, the percentages are going to be different from the percentages if you have alcohol and octane or if you have alcohol and olive oil.

So if you are talking specifically about the percent of alcohol in vodka, you have to mention it like this: At what percent of alcohol (content) does vodka no longer freeze?

But this is still not enough. You don't mention what temperature range you're talking about either. Alcohol is going to become solid (freeze) eventually if you keep dropping the temperature; it doesn't matter what its percentage is within a combination of alcohol and something else. Even the nitrogen and oxygen in the air eventually freeze if the temperature is low enough.

So you can ask questions like this: What percent of alcohol [is required in vodka / should vodka contain / does vodka have to contain] so that it won't freeze at -40 degrees? / What is the freezing point of vodka with a 70% alcohol content? / What is the temperature above which vodka containing 63% alcohol is still (in a) liquid (state)? / What is the minimum percentage of alcohol needed in vodka so that it will remain liquid at -10 degrees?

You have to know all but one of these: what else is mixed with the alcohol, the percentage of alcohol, the temperature. All three affect the freezing process. And your question is about the one you don't know. Otherwise you have a question that cannot be answered simply, if at all. (It's like asking "Which two numbers add to 85?" as if there were only one correct answer.) If you don't know these, then you're asking for a whole set of charts of freezing points for various percentages of alcohol mixed with various other substances -- the kind of charts that might be available in chemistry handbooks.

CJ

How much percent /What percent/percentage???

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

Related Questions