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.

25 mai 2015 12:28

Réponses · 12

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

25 mai 2015

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

25 mai 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.

25 mai 2015

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