Does "no more than ten" mean 'ten' or "ten or less"?

[Pooh]

Does "no more than ten" mean "ten" or "ten or less"?

Does "no less than ten" mean "ten" or "ten or more"?

Thanks! :roll:

[Mister Micawber]

Does "no more than ten" mean "ten" or "ten or less"? -- Yes; or 'only ten'.
Does "no less than ten" mean "ten" or "ten or more"? -- Yes; or 'at least ten'.
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Native English teacher at Mister Micawber's

[Esl_Expert]

Hello Pooh,

The phrase "no more than ten" means "ten or less". As Mister Micawber mentioned, it can also mean "only ten".

The phrase "no less than ten" would usually mean "ten or more".
However, the expression "no less (than)" can also be used to show surprise, and that could include being surprised at what you think is an unusually large number of something. In that case, "no less than ten" might mean "exactly ten (!)" or "at least ten (!)"
For example:

Sally had been worried about whether she would be able to find a job, but she received no less than ten job offers yesterday alone! Now her biggest problem is trying to decide which offer to accept.

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"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." - Abraham Lincoln

[Pooh]

Thank you all.
That's exactly what I thought however,
I've got some stupid multiple choice questions asking me to
chose only one out of four, a,b,c,d.

Q: "I've head that the pay raise is no more than 10%."
What rate is the pay raise?

a. ten%
b. ten% or more
c. ten% or less
d. less than ten%

I'm not sure which I should chose, a or c.....

[Shyone]

It's obviously 'c'.
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No comment

[Pooh]

But.... it could also mean just 10%, ritht?

[Milanya]

No. "No more than 10" means 10 or less. You can get a 1% raise or a 10% raise, but not 11%.
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con·text - The part of a text or statement that surrounds a particular word or passage and determines its meaning.

[Esl_Expert]

Hello Pooh,

In that context, I would choose option c. (ten% or less). In other words, I would understand that the person wants to say "ten percent at the most". Perhaps the speaker might even be thinking of it as "only a maximum of ten percent".

I'd say the usage of "no more than" to mean "only (this exact thing)" would be more likely in a context that does not involve a very specifically stated amount of something:

For example:

- I was able to get no more than a fleeting glimpse of the President from my vantage point.

- I was able to get no more than a couple of fleeting glimpses of the President from my vantage point.

In the second version of that sentence, "a couple of" does not mean "exactly two". It refers to a small, but non-specific, number of glimpses.

_________________
"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." - Abraham Lincoln

[Pooh]

Thank you. I understand what you mean.
Although I still feel that "a" is also OK to be as a right answer
because nobody knows the exact rate by the sentence,
we only know it could be 10 or any smaller numbers than 10.

So, your are right, "c" could be the best answer if we really have to choose one
but still you cannot deny "a" as a correct answer, there is always a possibility.

I think this kind of question is stupid and very misleading.

[Mister Micawber]

Actually, I agree with you, Pooh-- the exclamation could indeed mean that the raise is only 10% (exactly), when the speaker was expecting a bigger raise. However, I doubt that the test writer realizes that.
_________________
Native English teacher at Mister Micawber's

[Pooh]

I'm glad you agree with me!

Actually I almost begun to wonder
if I was the only one who had such a way of thinking
since other people seemed to be perfectly OK with this kind of question.

[Esl_Expert]

[Mister Micawber]

Then I don't think you have ever worked in a union shop, Esl. Across-the-board raises of a certain percent are a common topic of negotiation.
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Native English teacher at Mister Micawber's

[Nanucbe]

In many cases the test writers never take the test.

[Esl_Expert]