what's the meaning of "9 out of every 10 of them" in the following sentence. There are more than 300 million people in America but a hundred and fifty thousand last names and five thousand first names

Irene Cai

what's the meaning of "9 out of every 10 of them" in the following sentence. There are more than 300 million people in America but a hundred and fifty thousand last names and five thousand first names is all you need to name 9 out of every 10 of them.

May 25, 2015 12:28 PM

Answers · 12

It means the fraction 9/10, or 90% if you like.

May 25, 2015

9 out of 10 of them is referring to 9 out of 10 Americans. It's basically a ratio.

May 25, 2015

While "nine out of ten" can mean literally 90% is is also a common idiom meaning "most" or "the vast majority". It is not clear from this passage which meaning is intended.

May 25, 2015

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