Topic vocabulary: Quantity |
| abundant (adj) |
existing or available in large quantities |
The country has an abundant supply of fossil fuels. |
| ample (adj) |
enough, and often more than you need |
There is ample evidence to prove his guilt. |
| area (n) |
a place on the surface of something such as a part of your body |
Be sure to apply sunblock to sensitive areas of your skin. |
| area (n) |
the amount of space that the surface of a place or shape covers |
The surface area of the screen should be at least one square metre. |
| average (adj) |
around a usual or ordinary level or standard |
He's about average height. |
| average (adj) |
not very good |
It was a decidedly average performance. |
| average (adj) |
calculated by adding a group of numbers together and dividing the total by the amount of numbers |
The winds had an average speed of 15 miles per hour. |
| average (n) |
the amount, level, standard, etc that is typical of a group of people or things |
Incomes here are nowhere near the national average. |
| average (n) |
an amount that is calculated by adding several numbers together and dividing the total by the original number of things you added together |
Add 20, 10 and 30 and find the average. |
| batch (n) |
a number of things or people that arrive or are dealt with at the same time |
This new batch of students seems very nice. |
| batch (v) |
to group things together |
Let's batch these envelopes into piles of 100. |
| bulk (n) |
something that is very large, wide and solid |
We looked up at the great dark bulk of the cathedral. |
| bulk (n) |
the majority or largest part of something |
Women still undertake the bulk of domestic work in the home. |
| bulk (n) |
if something is bought or sold in bulk, it is bought or sold in large quantities |
Supermarkets only buy produce in bulk. |
| considerable (adj) |
large in size, amount or degree |
She made a considerable amount of money. |
| countless (adj) |
very many, especially more than you think is reasonable |
She's made countless television appearances. |
| dimension (n) |
a part of a situation, especially when it influences the way you think about the situation |
Doing voluntary work has added a whole new dimension to my life. |
| dimension (n) |
length, height or width |
A hologram represents an object in three dimensions. |
| diminish (v) |
to become less |
The intensity of the sound diminished gradually. |
| diminish (v) |
to make something become less |
The delay may well have diminished the impact of their campaign. |
| equation (n) |
a statement in mathematics that two sets of numbers or expressions are equal |
Solve the equation 5x - 3 = 27. |
| equation (n) |
all the different aspects that you have to consider in a situation |
In a choice between the use of rail and car, the question of cost will come into the equation. |
| equidistant (adj) |
at the same distance from two places |
The port is conveniently equidistant from the two major manufacturing centres. |
| expand (v) |
to become or make larger in size and fill more space |
The water froze inside the pipe, causing it to expand and burst. |
| extent (n) |
the importance of a problem or situation |
We were shocked by the extent of the damage. |
| extent (n) |
the degree to which something happens or is likely to happen |
The extent to which your diet is successful depends on your willpower. |
| extent (n) |
the size or area of something |
Open the table to its fullest extent. |
| finite (adj) |
existing only in limited numbers or amounts or continuing only for a limited time or distance |
The world's finite resources must be used wisely. |
| force (n) |
physical strength or violence |
They accused the police of using excessive force during the arrest. |
| force (n) |
the influence or powerful effect that someone has |
We have convinced people by the force of our argument. |
| force (n) |
a power that makes an object move or changes the way it moves |
It fell because of the force of gravity. |
| force (v) |
to make someone do something that they do not want to do, for example by using or threatening to use violence |
He claims that police officers forced him to sign a confession. |
| force (v) |
to use physical force to move something in a particular direction |
She forced the package through the slot. |
| fraction (n) |
a small part or amount of something |
His shares are now worth a fraction of their former value. |
| fraction (n) |
a division or part of a whole number, for example 1/2 or 3/4 |
0.5 can also be written as a fraction: 1/2. |
| heap (n) |
a large pile of something, especially an untidy pile |
His clothes were in a crumpled heap on the floor. |
| heap (v) |
to make a big untidy pile of things |
Bundles of clothing were heaped on the floor. |
| imbalance (n) |
a situation in which the balance between two things is not equal or fair |
There's an increasing social imbalance in recruitment to higher education. |
| immense (adj) |
extremely large |
An immense amount of money has already been spent on the project. |
| intensity (n) |
strength |
The cross-examination increased in intensity. |
| magnitude (n) |
great size, importance or effect |
We hadn't grasped the magnitude of the task we were facing. |
| major (adj) |
important, serious, large or great |
Age is a major factor affecting chances of employment. |
| mass (n) |
a large quantity or number |
There's a mass of competing antivirus programs you can choose from. |
| mass (n) |
the amount of physical matter an object contains |
This rock has a mass of 1 kg. |
| meagre (adj) |
smaller or less than you want or need |
There was only a meagre food supply. |
| minor (adj) |
not very important in comparison with people or things of the same type |
Some minor changes may be necessary. |
| minute (adj) |
very small |
The soil contained minute quantities of uranium. |
| multiple (adj) |
involving or consisting of many people, things or parts |
Words can have multiple meanings. |
| multiple (n) |
a number that you can divide by a smaller number an exact number of times |
12 is a multiple of four. |
| proportion (n) |
a quantity of something that is a part or share of the whole |
Only a small proportion of graduates fail to find employment. |
| quantify (v) |
to measure or describe something as a quantity |
The benefits are difficult to quantify. |
| rate (n) |
the number of times something happens, or the number of examples of something within a particular period of time |
There's been a dramatic fall in the city's crime rate. |
| rate (n) |
the speed at which something happens within a particular period of time |
The population was growing at an alarming rate. |
| rate (v) |
to consider that someone or something has a particular quality or has achieved a particular standard or level |
In a recent poll, the environment is rated as the number one issue by 30% of the voters. |
| ratio (n) |
a relationship between two things expressed as two numbers or amounts |
The ratio of expenditure to revenue was an alarming 4:1. |
| ration (n) |
a limited amount of something, especially food, that you are allowed to have, for example when there is not much available or when someone else is controlling it |
There's a ration of two eggs per person. |
| ration (v) |
to control the supply of something such as food so that people are allowed only a fixed amount |
During the strike, petrol had to be rationed. |
| shrink (v) |
to become or make something smaller in size |
Do you think this dress will shrink if I handwash it? |
| sufficient (adj) |
as much as is needed |
Bedside lighting alone is not sufficient for most bedrooms. |
| sum (n) |
an amount of money |
He was fined a sum of £1,000. |
| sum (n) |
a simple calculation |
John's just starting to do sums at school. |
| uneven (adj) |
not regular in terms of size, length, quality or quantity |
The economy has prospered, but growth has been uneven. |
| vast (adj) |
extremely large |
We found ourselves on a vast empty plain. |
| volume (n) |
an amount of something |
The total volume of trade has reached £800 million. |
| volume (n) |
the amount of space something takes or can be filled with |
The petrol tank has a volume of over 20 gallons. |
| widespread (adj) |
happening or existing in many places, or affecting many people |
The project has received widespread public support. |
