proportion
Word family
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++LDOCE 5++pro·por·tion1 /prəˈpɔːʃən $ -ˈpɔːr-/ ●●○ W2 AWL noun 1 part of STH 某物的部分 [countable usually singular]HMNPART a part of a number or an amount, considered in relation to the whole 部分，份额proportion of The proportion of women graduates has increased in recent years. 近年来女大学毕业生的比例有所上升。 Every parent is asked to contribute a proportion of the total cost. 每位家长都被要求认捐一部分费用。high/large/small etc proportion The decision affects a significant proportion of the population. 那项决定影响到相当大一部分人口。 Although the majority of offenders are men, a small proportion – about five percent – are women. 尽管罪犯主要是男性，但女性也占据了一小部分——大约5%。► see thesaurus at amountn GRAMMAR: Singular or plural verb?• In this meaning, proportion is usually followed by a singular verb: A small proportion disagrees.• In British English, you can also use a plural verb: A small proportion disagree.2 relationship 关系 [countable, uncountable]AMOUNT the relationship between two things in size, amount, importance etc 比例the proportion of something to something What’s the proportion of boys to girls in your class? 你们班里男女生的比例是多少？in proportion to something The rewards you get in this job are in direct proportion to the effort you put in. 你做这份工作的报酬与你付出的努力成正比。3 correct scale 恰当的比例 [uncountable] the correct or most suitable relationship between the size, shape, or position of the different parts of something 〔某物各组成部分的〕相称；协调；均衡；匀称 Builders must learn about scale and proportion. 建筑师必须学习比例和均衡。in proportion Reduce the drawing so that all the elements stay in proportion. 缩小这幅画以使各部分保持协调。in proportion to something Her feet are small in proportion to her height. 她的脚相对于她的身高来说很小。out of proportion with something The porch is out of proportion with (=too big or too small when compared with) the rest of the house. 门廊与房子的其他部分不成比例。4 proportions [plural]SIZE a) the size or importance of something 大小；重要性 Try to reduce your tasks to more manageable proportions. 尽量把你的工作减少到较易处理的量。of immense/huge/massive etc proportions an ecological tragedy of enormous proportions 极其严重的生态悲剧of epic/heroic/mythic proportions For most of us, Scott was a hero of mythic proportions. 对我们大多数人来说，斯科特是一个神话般的英雄。crisis/epidemic proportions The flu outbreak has reached epidemic proportions. 流感的爆发已到了流行病的程度。 b) the relative sizes of the different parts of a building, object etc 〔建筑、物体等的〕比例 a building of classic proportions 合乎经典比例的建筑 the elegant proportions of the living room 比例雅致的起居室5 out of (all) proportion EXAGGERATEtoo big, great, or strong in relation to something （相对某事物来说）超出比例；与…不相称6 keep something in proportion TOO/TOO MUCHto react to a situation sensibly, and not think that it is worse or more serious than it really is 办事情[看问题]恰如其分；不把问题看得太糟[太严重] → perspective7 sense of proportion COMPAREthe ability to judge what is most important in a situation 区别轻重缓急的能力；主次观念8. mathematics 数学 [uncountable] technicalHMN equality in the mathematical relationship between two sets of numbers, as in the statement ‘8 is to 6 as 32 is to 24’ 比例〔如8:6 = 32:24〕 → ration COLLOCATIONS – Meaning 4: ADJECTIVES/NOUN + proportionsenormous/massive/gigantic etc proportionsThe company is heading towards a disaster of enormous proportions.epidemic proportions (=very great size, especially in a particular place)Shoplifting has reached epidemic proportions.epic proportions (=very great size or importance)An argument of epic proportions had ensued.mythic proportions (=a size or importance that seems almost unreal)Achieving this was a feat of mythic proportions.historic proportions (=a size or importance that only rarely happens)We were trapped for three days by a blizzard of historic proportions.crisis proportions (=a size that causes very serious problems)The water shortage was reaching crisis proportions.manageable proportions (=a size that is easy to deal with)First, narrow the choice down to more manageable proportions.verbsreach epidemic etc proportionsAlcohol abuse has reached epidemic proportions in this country.grow to enormous etc proportionsThe fish grows to gigantic proportions.assume epidemic etc proportions formal (=become or seem very great)Unless you deal with it quickly, the damage may assume serious proportions.reduce something to manageable etc proportionsThe disease had been reduced to negligible proportions by vaccination.Examples from the Corpus
proportion• Already the hyperbole was out of all proportion compared to the evidence.• Architects must learn about scale and proportion.• The most desirable proportion of height to length being 9 to 10.• The new jobs would largely be unskilled and a high proportion would be in inner city areas.• Yves Rocher Dynamic Corp Bio-Vegetal range includes gel, tonics and creams all with a high proportion of sea algae.• A high proportion of the products tested were found to contain harmful chemicals.• A significant proportion of the elderly are dependent on the basic state pension.• We get a small proportion of our funding from the government.• Seventy-five percent of California's immigrants are foreign-born, and that proportion is likely to increase.• a program to increase the proportion of women and black people in the police service• Severing the umbilical cord between landlords and peasants vastly increased the proportion of the population for which the centre was directly responsible.• What is the proportion of men to women in your office?• The new law is intended to reduce the proportion of road accidents caused by drunk drivers.• Ratios between two proportions are not, however, regularly used in analysing contingency tables.• It will automatically calculate, for example, what proportion of your income goes on things like the car and household items.• What proportion have neither one, nor both parents as members of the church?• What proportion of your income do you spend on food?high/large/small etc proportion• These figures are produced by a combination of younger marriages and a higher proportion of women marrying.• A general authority source is one that has substantial influence on a large proportion of people in a society.• Wealthy people paid a large proportion of the taxes, however, and there was a levelling upwards of income.• Thus participation in sport is increasing due to a higher proportion of the adult population taking part in at least one activity.• A high proportion of the rewards package is linked to performance, via a share in the profits on successful investments.• The mass is politically apathetic and impotent, and policy is imposed upon this large proportion of the population.• Moreover, the data suggest that Baumol-type models can account for only a very small proportion of total transactions balances.• These averages are dictated largely by the very high proportion of volunteers that operate at club level.in direct proportion to• Latin temperaments rose in exasperation in direct proportion to their owners' frustration.• Faith's value, some even suggest, grows in direct proportion to its lack of a rational basis.• And as the country got wilder, the population grew thinner and loveliness increased in direct proportion to danger.• Could it be that Europeanism is in direct proportion to dissatisfaction with one's own political institutions?• The value of higher education, on this view, is in direct proportion to the critical capacities of its graduates.• A spinning cylinder generates lift in direct proportion to the acceleration it imparts on the air streaming by.• This indicates that ferritin is released into the serum normally in direct proportion to the amount stored in tissues.• Most commonly, the graphic distance was simply not in direct proportion to the numerical values represented.out of proportion with something• I felt out of proportion with a short bob and, although striking, it was too neat and tidy for me.proportion2 verb [transitive] formal to put something in a particular relationship with something else according to their relative size, amount, position etc 使相称；使成比例be proportioned to something The amount of damages awarded are proportioned to the degree of injury caused. 裁定的损害赔偿金额和造成的伤害程度成正比。n Grammar Proportion is usually passive.→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
proportion• All storing is performed in the base port once a week with most meats being proportioned.• So long as he was solvent in law, he could not proportion his payments to creditors according to their respective debts.• Both are moved along at the same speed and in the same direction by the proportioning pump.• It provides that such damages can be awarded as are proportioned to the injury resulting from the death to the dependants respectively.be proportioned to something• Farmers pay a small amount for use of the pasture, proportioned to the number of animals grazed there.Origin proportion1 (1300-1400) Old French Latin proportio, from portio; → PORTION1pro·por·tion1 noun →n GRAMMAR1 →n COLLOCATIONS1proportion2 verb →n GRAMMAR1LDOCE OnlineChineseSyllable
number Corpus of a an part a or
proportion
pro‧por‧tion1 S2 W2 AC /prəˈpɔːʃən $ -ˈpɔːr-/ 
noun
proportion of
The proportion of women graduates has increased in recent years.
Every parent is asked to contribute a proportion of the total cost.
high/large/small etc proportion
The decision affects a significant proportion of the population.
Although the majority of offenders are men, a small proportion – about five percent – are women.
2. RELATIONSHIP [uncountable and countable] the relationship between two things in size, amount, importance etc
the proportion of something to something
What’s the proportion of boys to girls in your class?
in proportion to something
The rewards you get in this job are in direct proportion to the effort you put in.
3. CORRECT SCALE [uncountable] the correct or most suitable relationship between the size, shape, or position of the different parts of something:
Builders must learn about scale and proportion.
in proportion
Reduce the drawing so that all the elements stay in proportion.
in proportion to something
Her feet are small in proportion to her height.
out of proportion with something
The porch is out of proportion with (=too big or too small when compared with) the rest of the house.
4. proportions [plural]
a. the size or importance of something:
Try to reduce your tasks to more manageable proportions.
of immense/huge/massive etc proportions
an ecological tragedy of enormous proportions
of epic/heroic/mythic proportions
For most of us, Scott was a hero of mythic proportions.
crisis/epidemic proportions
The flu outbreak has reached epidemic proportions.
b. the relative sizes of the different parts of a building, object etc:
a building of classic proportions
the elegant proportions of the living room
5. out of (all) proportion too big, great, or strong in relation to something
out of (all) proportion to/with
The fear of violent crime has now risen out of all proportion to the actual risk.
get/blow something out of proportion (=treat something as more serious than it really is)
Aren’t you getting things rather out of proportion?
The whole issue has been blown out of all proportion.
6. keep something in proportion to react to a situation sensibly, and not think that it is worse or more serious than it really is ⇨ perspective:
Let’s keep things in proportion.
7. sense of proportion the ability to judge what is most important in a situation
have/keep/lose a sense of proportion
You can protest by all means, but keep a sense of proportion.
8. MATHEMATICS [uncountable] technical equality in the mathematical relationship between two sets of numbers, as in the statement ‘8 is to 6 as 32 is to 24’ ⇨ ratio
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + proportions
▪enormous/massive/gigantic etc proportions The company is heading towards a disaster of enormous proportions.
▪epidemic proportions (=very great size, especially in a particular place) Shoplifting has reached epidemic proportions.
▪epic proportions (=very great size or importance) An argument of epic proportions had ensued.
▪mythic proportions (=a size or importance that seems almost unreal) Achieving this was a feat of mythic proportions.
▪historic proportions (=a size or importance that only rarely happens) We were trapped for three days by a blizzard of historic proportions.
▪crisis proportions (=a size that causes very serious problems) The water shortage was reaching crisis proportions.
▪manageable proportions (=a size that is easy to deal with) First, narrow the choice down to more manageable proportions.
■ verbs
▪reach epidemic etc proportions Alcohol abuse has reached epidemic proportions in this country.
▪grow to enormous etc proportions The fish grows to gigantic proportions.
▪assume epidemic etc proportions formal (=become or seem very great) Unless you deal with it quickly, the damage may assume serious proportions.
▪reduce something to manageable etc proportions The disease had been reduced to negligible proportions by vaccination.
▪ amount how much of something there is: Try to reduce the amount of fat in your diet. | a tiny amount of poison
▪quantity a particular amount of food, liquid, or another substance that can be measured – used especially in written descriptions and instructions: Make sure that you add the right quantity of milk. | They buy the wood in large quantities.
▪volume the amount of something such as business activity or traffic, especially when this is large or increasing: The volume of traffic on our roads has risen sharply. | the huge volume of trade with China
▪level the exact amount of something at one time, which can go up or down at other times: They measured the level of alcohol in his blood. | There is a high level of unemployment.
▪proportion the amount of something, compared with the whole amount that exists: the proportion of road accidents caused by drunk drivers | A high proportion of the students were from poor families.
▪quota a maximum amount of something that can be produced, sold, brought into a country etc: import quotas on Japanese cars
▪yield /jiːld/ the amount of something that is produced, especially crops: this year’s cotton yield
proportion2 verb [transitive usually passive] formal
proportion something to something
The amount of damages awarded are proportioned to the degree of injury caused.
| I |
noun Word Family: adverb: proportionally, proportionately; adjective: proportional, proportionate; verb: proportion; noun: proportion
1. PART OF SOMETHING [C usually singular also + plural verb British English] a part of a number or an amount, considered in relation to the wholeproportion of
high/large/small etc proportion
2. RELATIONSHIP [uncountable and countable] the relationship between two things in size, amount, importance etc
the proportion of something to something
in proportion to something
3. CORRECT SCALE [uncountable] the correct or most suitable relationship between the size, shape, or position of the different parts of something:
in proportion
in proportion to something
out of proportion with something
4. proportions [plural]
a. the size or importance of something:
of immense/huge/massive etc proportions
of epic/heroic/mythic proportions
crisis/epidemic proportions
b. the relative sizes of the different parts of a building, object etc:
5. out of (all) proportion too big, great, or strong in relation to something
out of (all) proportion to/with
get/blow something out of proportion (=treat something as more serious than it really is)
6. keep something in proportion to react to a situation sensibly, and not think that it is worse or more serious than it really is ⇨ perspective:
7. sense of proportion the ability to judge what is most important in a situation
have/keep/lose a sense of proportion
8. MATHEMATICS [uncountable] technical equality in the mathematical relationship between two sets of numbers, as in the statement ‘8 is to 6 as 32 is to 24’ ⇨ ratio
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verb [transitive usually passive] formal Word Family: adverb: proportionally, proportionately; adjective: proportional, proportionate; verb: proportion; noun: proportion
to put something in a particular relationship with something else according to their relative size, amount, position etcproportion something to something
If proportion is used with an uncountable or a singular noun, the verb is generally singular.* proportion 与不可数名词或单数名词连用时，动词一般用单数 ：◆ A proportion of the land is used for agriculture.一部分土地作农用。 If the proportion of is used with a plural countable noun, or a singular noun that represents a group of people, the verb is usually singular, but witha (large, small, etc.) proportion of a plural verb is often used, especially inBrE * the proportion of 与复数可数名词或单数集合名词连用时，动词通常为单数；但如果是 a (large, small etc.) proportion of，则常用复数动词，尤其在英式英语中 ：◆ The proportion of small cars on America's roads is increasing.美国公路上小型车的比例在逐渐增加。 ◆ A high proportion of five-year-olds have teeth in poor condition.有较高比例的五岁儿童牙齿不健康。
Describing fractions and proportions 描述分数和份额
◆ According to this pie chart, a third of students' leisure time is spent watching TV.如饼分图所示，学生的闲暇时间有三分之一都花在看电视上。 ◆ One in five hours is/are spent socializing.每五个小时中有一个小时花在社交活动上。 ◆ Socializing accounts for /makes up /comprises about 20% of leisure time.社交活动占去大约百分之二十的闲暇时间。 ◆ Students spend twice as much time playing computer games as doing sport.学生们玩电脑游戏的时间是做运动时间的两倍。 ◆ Three times as many hours are spent playing computer games as reading.玩电脑游戏的时间是阅读时间的三倍。 ◆ The figure for playing computer games is three times higher than the figure for reading.玩电脑游戏的时间比阅读时间多两倍。 ◆ The largest proportion of time is spent playing computer games.大部分时间都花在玩电脑游戏上。
