"cut down on" vs "cut down"
Hello,guys!

Those two phrases can both mean reducing something and I found "cut down on" is often used to talk about food intake .
For example, "you should cut down on sugar/coffee/fat etc.

Are those phrases interchangeable in other contexts?
For example," The country cut down on/ cut down waste production."

Thank you !

Question

"cut down on" vs "cut down"
Hello,guys!

Those two phrases can both mean reducing something and I found "cut down on" is often used to talk about food intake .
For example, "you should cut down on sugar/coffee/fat etc.

Are those phrases interchangeable in other contexts? 
For example," The country cut down on/ cut down waste production."

Thank you !

Answer

Thanks for your comment Alex

Answer

It's American English (so I can't comment on which is more correct!).  However, in UK English, we'd use 'reduce' or 'less' instead.  e.g. "You should eat less sugar".  "The country reduced its waste production".

لا تفوّت فرصة تعلّم لغة جديدة وأنت مرتاح في منزلك. تصفّح مجموعتنا المختارة من مدرّسي اللغات ذوي الخبرة وسجّل في درسك الأول الآن!