The Approximation Number Line
Before you pick the phrase, ask which side of the number your figure is on.
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Before you pick the phrase, ask which side of the number your figure is on.
Ways to say about without repeating it, and how to put each one on the correct side of the number.
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Most of these commit you to one side of the number. Choosing wrongly misreports the chart.
Task 1 asks you to describe figures. Almost none of them are round, so you will approximate constantly — and if you have one word for it, you will use that word constantly.
The fix is not to learn impressive synonyms. It is to notice that these expressions are not interchangeable, because most of them commit you to a side of the number.
Before you pick the phrase, ask which side of the number your figure is on.
Before you pick the phrase, ask which side of the number your figure is on.
A fast drill: above the number, below it, or either side.
Terms
Definitions
Three decisions where the exact figure settles the answer.
Chain 1
The actual figure: 498.
Candidates: just over 500 / just under 500
The expert chooses:
Because:
Chain 2
The actual figure: 3,140,000 visitors. The writer wants a neutral, formal description in an overview.
Candidates: a mere 3 million / approximately 3 million
The expert chooses:
Because:
Chain 3
The actual figure: 512 students, and the writer is emphasising that this is a lot compared with the 40 enrolled a decade earlier.
Candidates: no fewer than 500 / just under 500
The expert chooses:
Because:
A paragraph that says about five times. Replace four without misreporting the data.
Visitor numbers at four national museums, 2019
The most popular site attracted 4 million visitors (actual: 4,180,000), considerably more than any other in the survey.
The second museum received 3 million (actual: 2,940,000), placing it a little behind the leader.
Attendance at the third stood at 1.5 million (actual: 1,510,000), less than half the figure recorded by the leading site.
The least visited attracted 200,000 people (actual: 196,000) — a figure the report describes as strikingly low for a national institution.
Across all four, the average admission price was about £12.
Approximate four exact figures four different ways, and have every side-check verified.
| Figure | What it measures | | --- | --- | | 1,970,000 | tonnes of waste recycled | | 6,120 | kilometres of new railway | | 48,900 | new homes built | | 312 | protected species recorded |
Check each one before you submit: is your expression on the correct side of the round number you chose?
Four short sentences. A different approximation expression in each.
List them in order.