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Sun Aug 06, 2006 12:04 pm Third vs the third |
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. a. The third of 2. --> Makes no sense whatsoever
b. A third of 2. --> Means 2 has been divided into 3 parts and you are referring to one of the parts.
d. A third of a liter. --> similar to b.
c. The third of a liter. --> Makes sense only if which third of a liter has been previously mentioned/identified. . _________________ Amy
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ESL teacher, translator, and a native speaker of American English |
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Yankee I'm a Communicator ;-)

Joined: 16 Apr 2006 Posts: 7245 Location: New England
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Sun Aug 06, 2006 12:32 pm Third vs the third |
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Hi Yankee,
Do you think
"The third power of 2" and "the third of two" have the same meaning?
(I ask so because "Two to the third power " has the same meaning as "Two to the third").
Thanks K |
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Van Khanh I'm here quite often ;-)
Joined: 24 Jul 2006 Posts: 324 Location: Ho Chi Minh-City, Viet Nam
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Sun Aug 06, 2006 14:35 pm Third versus The third |
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. It's possible that two crazy mathematicians might understand "the third of two" to mean "the third power of two" if they were in the middle of a fascinating conversation about "to the power of". But I wouldn't consider it to be a typical or "standard" short form. It would be too easily misunderstood. . "The third of 4" would typically be understood to mean "the third thing in a series of 4 things". . _________________ Amy
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ESL teacher, translator, and a native speaker of American English |
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Yankee I'm a Communicator ;-)

Joined: 16 Apr 2006 Posts: 7245 Location: New England
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Sun Aug 06, 2006 15:11 pm Third versus The third |
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Hi Yankee,
Your explanation took me out of my sleep. It's very interesting.
Khanh |
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Van Khanh I'm here quite often ;-)
Joined: 24 Jul 2006 Posts: 324 Location: Ho Chi Minh-City, Viet Nam
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