one third as large

[Sun14]

Hello, my friends,

I came across these sentence in a book named Common Errors in English Usage:

Mathematically literate folks object to expressions like "my paycheck is three times smaller than it used to be" because "times" indicates multiplication and should logically apply only to increases in size. Say "one third as large" instead.

I was wondering what does "large" refer to.

 

[Cagey]

"Large" refers to the size of the check. You could also say "one third as big."

If your pay check used to be $300, now it is $100.

 

[Sun14]

"Large" refers to the size of the check. You could also say "one third as big."

If your pay check used to be $300, now it is $100.

Thank you, but I still find large is a bit vague in the sentence. Do I need to specify it?

 

[srk]

You could also say "my paycheck is one third the size it used to be" or "one third the amount it used to be." If you use the term "one third," you have to somehow specify what it is one third of. "My check is worth one third of what it used to be" would also work.

 

[Sun14]

You could also say "my paycheck is one third the size it used to be" or "one third the amount it used to be." If you use the term "one third," you have to somehow specify what it is one third of. "My check is worth one third of what it used to be" would also work.

Got it. Thank you very much.