INDEX:
1. an amount of something such as money, time, or a substance
2. a number of people or things
3. an amount that is compared with another amount
4. a measured amount of goods
5. an amount that is carried in something
6. the amount of something bad such as crime, poverty etc
RELATED WORDS
an amount of food : ↑ FOOD
an amount of a drug or medicine : ↑ DRUG
an amount of something that an organization or country has and is available to be used : ↑ AVAILABLE/NOT AVAILABLE
how often something happens : ↑ OFTEN
when an amount reaches a particular level : ↑ REACH (2)
see also
↑ NUMBER
↑ COUNT/CALCULATE
↑ TOTAL
↑ LEVEL
↑ INCREASE
↑ REDUCE
◆◆◆
1. an amount of something such as money, time, or a substance
▷ amount /əˈmaʊnt/ [countable noun]
the amount of something
▪ The amount of tax you pay depends on how much you earn.
▪ Try to reduce the amount of fat in your diet.
▪ The amount of calories a person needs each day is determined by the type of work they do.
a small/tiny amount
▪ The water here contains small amounts of calcium and other minerals.
a large/enormous/considerable amount
▪ He knows an enormous amount about Italian paintings.
▷ how much /ˌhaʊ ˈmʌtʃ/
use this to ask or talk about the size of an amount of something :
▪ How much did your jeans cost?
▪ I’ll get you some paint if you tell me how much you need.
how much money/time/food etc
▪ How much money do I owe you?
▪ Do you realize how much trouble you caused?
▪ How much nitrogen is there in the air?
how much of
▪ You received $50,000. How much of that money is still in your bank account?
▷ quantity /ˈkwɒntɪti, ˈkwɒntətiǁˈkwɑːn-/ [countable noun]
use this, especially in written descriptions or instructions, to talk about amounts of food, liquid, or other substances that can be measured :
quantity of
▪ Make sure that you add the correct quantity of water.
▪ Use equal quantities of flour and butter.
a large/small/enormous etc quantity
▪ An enormous quantity of chemical waste has been dumped in the river.
in large/small quantities
▪ Expensive spices, like saffron, are only produced in small quantities.
▷ volume /ˈvɒljuːmǁˈvɑːljəm/ [singular noun]
use this to talk about the total amount of something such as business activity or traffic, especially when it is large or increasing :
the volume of trade/sales/traffic/business
▪ The volume of traffic on our roads has risen by 50% in the past three years.
▪ After 1998, there was a rapid fall in the volume of trade.
▷ level /ˈlev ə l/ [countable noun]
use this to talk about the exact amount of something at one time, even though this amount may go up or go down at other times :
the level of something
▪ a device that measures the level of carbon monoxide in the air
a high/low level
▪ The company continues to enjoy a high level of sales.
▪ People who suffer heart attacks tend to have a high level of cholesterol in the blood.
▷ sum /sʌm/ [countable noun]
an amount of money :
a large/enormous sum
▪ The apartment cost over $25,000, which was an enormous sum in those days.
a sum of money
▪ She left a small sum of money to her two granddaughters.
▪ A purse containing a small sum of money was found at Guildhall Square on March 20.
a lump sum
an amount of money given in a single payment
▪ Instead of paying him a regular pension, they gave him a lump sum when he retired.
▷ 100 pounds’ worth/ten dollars’ worth etc /ə ˌhʌndrə̇d ˈpaʊndz wɜːʳθ/
an amount of something that is worth £100, $10 etc :
100 pounds’ worth/ten dollars’ worth etc of
▪ Over £10 million worth of heroin was seized in the raid.
▪ The company owns millions of dollars’ worth of real estate in downtown Tokyo.
2. a number of people or things
▷ number /ˈnʌmbəʳ/ []
the number of
▪ We need to know the number of students in each class.
▪ By next year, the number of homes with either cable or satellite television is expected to be just over 10 million.
▪ The number of working days lost through strikes has continued to rise.
a large/small number
▪ A large number of reporters had gathered outside the house.
▪ Thousands of men apply to join the Marines but only a small number are accepted.
▷ how many /ˌhaʊ ˈmeni/
use this to talk about or ask about the number of people or things that there are :
how many people/things/years etc
▪ How many cars do you have?
▪ He wouldn’t tell us how many girlfriends he’d had.
how many of
▪ How many of you can swim?
▪ It is not known how many of the people arrested in last Saturday’s protests have been freed.
▷ quantity /ˈkwɒntɪti, ˈkwɒntətiǁˈkwɑːn-/ [countable noun]
a number of things - used especially in written reports about stolen or illegal goods :
a quantity of
▪ A quantity of cocaine was found in Larsson’s apartment.
a large/small quantity
▪ Police are investigating a burglary in which a small quantity of jewellery was stolen.
▪ Thieves escaped with a large quantity of cigarettes after breaking into a shop in Cramlington, Northumberland.
3. an amount that is compared with another amount
▷ percentage /pəʳˈsentɪdʒ/ [countable noun usually singular]
a number or amount that is calculated as part of a total of 100, and is shown using a % sign :
percentage of
▪ The percentage of women students at the university has increased steadily.
a high/large percentage
▪ Most of the coffee we produce is for export -- a high percentage goes to the US.
▪ A high percentage of businesses fail because of the collapse of a major customer or supplier.
a low/small percentage
▪ The disease is serious, and in a small percentage of cases it can be fatal.
▪ The writer only receives a small percentage of the profits from each book sold.
▷ proportion /prəˈpɔːʳʃ ə n/ [countable noun usually singular]
the number or amount of something, compared with the whole number or amount that exists :
proportion of
▪ The new law is intended to reduce the proportion of road accidents caused by drunk drivers.
▪ a program to increase the proportion of women and black people in the police service
proportion of something to something
▪ What is the proportion of men to women in your office?
a high/low/large/small proportion
▪ A high proportion of the products tested were found to contain harmful chemicals.
▷ ratio /ˈreɪʃiəʊǁˈreɪʃəʊ/ [countable noun usually singular]
a set of numbers, such as ‘20:1’ or ‘5:1’, that shows how much larger one quantity is than another :
ratio of something to something
▪ a school where the ratio of students to teachers is about 5:1
▷ rate /reɪt/ [countable noun]
a measurement showing the number of times that something happens during a particular period or the number of examples of something within a certain period :
▪ Refugees were crossing the border at the rate of 1000 a day.
success/failure rate
▪ Penicillin has a high success rate in treating bacterial infections.
▷ fraction /ˈfrækʃ ə n/ [singular noun]
a very small part of an amount or number :
a (small, tiny etc) fraction of something
▪ The disease affects only a tiny fraction of the population.
at a fraction of the cost
▪ Computers can now do the same job at a fraction of the cost.
in a fraction of the time
▪ A microwave oven cooks food in a fraction of the time required by a normal oven.
4. a measured amount of goods
▷ quota /ˈkwəʊtə/ [countable noun]
an official limit on the amount of something that can be produced, sold, brought into a country etc :
▪ An agreement on fishing quotas was reached by EU ministers yesterday.
▪ a meeting of OPEC countries to discuss production quotas
impose a quota on/for something
▪ Several countries imposed quotas on imports of Japanese cars.
▷ yield /jiːld/ [countable noun]
the amount of something that is produced, especially crops :
▪ a 22% fall in this year’s cotton yield
5. an amount that is carried in something
▷ load /ləʊd/ [countable noun]
the amount or number of things or people that can be carried in a vehicle :
load of
▪ The first load of supplies will be arriving at the camp next week.
▪ Evans was jailed for hijacking a lorry with a £30,000 load of spirits, tobacco and groceries.
carload/vanload/truckload etc
▪ a truckload of sheep
▪ a vanload of furniture
▪ A carload of American tourists pulled up in the street beside him and asked for directions.
▷ -ful /fʊl/ []
spoonful/bagful etc
the amount that is contained in a spoon, bag etc :
▪ We bought three bagfuls of coal.
▪ She added a spoonful of olive oil to the boiling water, then threw in the pasta.
6. the amount of something bad such as crime, poverty etc
▷ amount /əˈmaʊnt/ [singular noun]
use this when you are talking generally about how often something bad happens :
amount of
▪ There is growing alarm at the amount of violence on the streets of our city.
▪ The amount of car crime seems to be on the increase.
▷ level /ˈlev ə l/ [countable noun]
use this to talk about the exact amount of a particular problem at one time, even though this amount may go up or down at other times :
▪ Pollution levels in some rivers are already dangerous.
the level of something
▪ the rising level of crime in the inner cities
▷ rate /reɪt/ [countable noun]
use this to talk about the number of times something happens within a certain period of time, especially when talking about crime, social problems etc :
the crime/divorce/suicide/murder etc rate
▪ Nassau now has the third highest crime rate in the world.
▪ There is a 40% unemployment rate in the region.
▷ extent /ɪkˈstent/ [singular noun]
use this to talk about how large and how serious a problem is :
the extent of something
▪ Government inspectors will assess the extent of the damage.
▪ Considering the extent of his injuries, he’s lucky to be alive.
to such an extent
to such a large degree
▪ Discontent had grown to such an extent that the government had to withdraw the new tax.
to what extent
▪ To what extent were politicians responsible for the high unemployment which Britain experienced between the wars?
▷ incidence /ˈɪnsɪd ə ns, ˈɪnsəd ə ns/ [singular noun] formal
use this to talk about the number of times something bad happens, for example how many people have a particular illness, or how many crimes or accidents there are :
the incidence of something
▪ Since the early 1970s the incidence of breast cancer has increased by about 1% per year.
high/low incidence
▪ Poverty is one of the reasons for the high incidence of crime in this district.
▪ a neighborhood with a high incidence of drug and alcohol abuse