about a third decrease

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "about a third decrease" is not correct in standard written English.
It can be used when discussing a reduction in quantity or value, but it should be rephrased for clarity. Example: "The company experienced about a third decrease in sales this quarter."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

Science

News & Media

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

On pooling the retrieved measures of association, we found that high chocolate consumption was associated with about a third decrease in the risk of cardiometabolic disorders 37% in the case of any cardiovascular disease (relative risk 0.63 (95% confidence interval 0.44 to 0.90)) and 29% in the case of stroke prevention (0.71 (0.52 to 0.98)) (see fig 2).

British Medical Journal

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

55 human-written examples

Shortages led to inflation and, as the price of foodstuffs spiked, buying power steadily decreased, by about a sixth during the first year of the conflict.

The New York Times

If we assume that the heritability of growth rates in our study population is about the average of what has been described for salmonids so far (i.e. h 2 = 0.3), we conclude that about a third of the decrease in α t is directly linked to fishing-induced genetic changes in the population.

Evolutionary Applications

The IPCC predicts that food yields in sub-Saharan Africa will decrease by about a third by the middle of the century (66).

Global Health Action

Colorado, Rhode Island, West Virginia and Wyoming have the greatest percentage of children living in group homes, though the report also found that over the previous 10 years, the group home population had decreased by about a third.

Huffington Post

Between 1995-7 and 2004-6, curative surgery use decreased by about a third (from 28%to20%0% of all patients, p < 0.001) and chemotherapy use increased by more than three-fold (from 9%to30%0%, p < 0.001).

BMC Health Services Research

14 15 16 Although antibiotic prescribing to ambulatory patients decreased by about a third in most developed countries during the 1990s, the use of broad spectrum agents has increased in the United States, 17 and antibiotic prescribing has increased since 2000 in primary care in the United Kingdom.

British Medical Journal

The end of Medicaid, SCHIP, and coverage of state employees, will produce huge savings -- decreasing state budgets by about a third.

Huffington Post

The column abundance has decreased, not by half but by about a third.

Earth, Planets and Space

It is true that in the past 18 months Isis has lost about a third of the territory it had seized, while the group's foreign forces have also decreased by about a third, to 20,000 fighters, since coalition bombing began in August 2014.

The Guardian - Opinion

Budget analysts have said that with reassessment, about a third of the county's 415,000 residential and commercial properties would see tax increases, a third would see decreases and a third would see no change.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

For clarity and precision, replace "about a third decrease" with more specific terms like "approximately a 33% reduction" or "a decrease of roughly one-third". This enhances the accuracy and professionalism of your writing.

Common error

Avoid using the phrase "about a third decrease" in formal writing. It can sound less precise than alternatives. Instead, opt for clearer phrasing, such as "approximately a 33% reduction".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "about a third decrease" functions as a nominal phrase expressing a quantity of reduction. While understandable, Ludwig indicates it's not considered standard written English. It quantifies the extent of the reduction.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

30%

Science

40%

Formal & Business

30%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "about a third decrease" is used to express a reduction of approximately 33%. However, Ludwig AI identifies it as grammatically awkward, suggesting clearer and more precise alternatives like "approximately a 33% reduction" or "a decline of roughly one-third". While frequently found in news, science, and business contexts, opting for more specific phrasing enhances clarity and professionalism. Remember to always verify the accuracy of your context and always check with Ludwig to improve the writing!

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

approximately a 33% reduction

Uses percentage and 'reduction' for a more precise and standard expression of the same concept.

roughly a one-third decline

Substitutes 'about' with 'roughly' and 'decrease' with 'decline' for similar meaning.

a decrease of around 30%

Rephrases to specify the percentage range and uses 'decrease' more directly.

a reduction of approximately one-third

Similar to the original, but replaces "about" with approximately and leads with 'reduction'.

a fall of roughly 33 percent

Replaces "decrease" with "fall" and uses a percentage for clarity.

a drop of about 33 percent

Uses "drop" instead of "decrease" for a slightly more informal tone, specifying percentage.

approximately 30 percent less

Focuses on the comparative reduction using 'less' with a percentage.

around one-third less

Similar meaning, but uses 'less' to emphasize the reduced amount.

a third less

Concise way of expressing a one-third reduction.

a decline of approximately a third

Leads with 'decline' and uses 'approximately' for a slightly more formal tone.

FAQs

What can I say instead of "about a third decrease"?

You can use alternatives like "approximately a 33% reduction", "a decrease of around 30%", or "roughly a one-third decline" depending on the context.

Is "about a third decrease" grammatically correct?

While understandable, "about a third decrease" is considered grammatically awkward. It's better to rephrase it for clarity and precision. Ludwig AI highlights this issue.

How can I make "about a third decrease" sound more professional?

To sound more professional, use phrases like "approximately one-third less" or "a reduction of approximately one-third". These alternatives are more precise and formal.

What's the difference between "about a third decrease" and "a decrease of about a third"?

"About a third decrease" is less conventional and can sound awkward. "A decrease of about a third" is grammatically better but still not as precise as specifying "approximately a 33% reduction".