Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[Chan-Seung Lee]

[ESL-ish]

Yes, both sentences are correct but they have very different meanings. It is easier to see the difference if I substitute real numbers for the expressions "50 percent more" and "50 percent less".

If Japan and Germany both spend about $50 on their students...

1. about 50 percent less than the US
The US spends about $100.

2. about 50 percent more than the US
The US spends about $25.

You can see, there is a big difference in meaning between the two sentences.

You may have seen the following sentence:

[CP]

I must quibble with your arithmetic, ESL-ish. While $50 is 50% less than $100, it is not 50% more than $25, it is 100% more, or double. If you want $50 to be 50% more of X, then

1.5X = 50
X = 50 / 1.5
X = 33.33

and 1.5X = (1.5 x 33.33) = 50

The U.S. spends $33.33, while Japan and Germany spend $50.

Check: 50% of $33.33 = $16.67
$33.33 + $16.67 = $50
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You live a new life for every new language you speak. -Czech proverb

[ESL-ish]

You know, I pondered that for awhile, but I got impatient with trying to figure it out. Don't tell my 12 year old son I messed up; I'm his algebra tutor! lol)

Thanks for clearing that up!
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Warning: I have a dictionary and I'm not afraid to use it!

[CP]

Your secret is safe.
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You live a new life for every new language you speak. -Czech proverb