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

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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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