- [countable + singular or plural verb] a part or share of a whole
- Water covers a large proportion of the earth's surface.
- Loam is a soil with roughly equal proportions of clay, sand and silt.
- A significant proportion of the books have been translated from other languages.
- A higher proportion of Americans go on to higher education than is the case in Britain.
Grammar Point proportionproportion- If proportion is used with an uncountable or a singular noun, the verb is generally singular:
- A proportion of the land is used for agriculture.
- 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 with a (large, small, etc.) proportion of a plural verb is often used, especially in British English:
- The proportion of small cars on America’s roads is increasing.
- A high proportion of five-year-olds have teeth in poor condition
Extra Examples- The chart shows government spending expressed as a proportion of national income.
- The unskilled section of the working class was diminishing as a proportion of the workforce.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- appreciable
- considerable
- good
- …
- calculate
- estimate
- express something as
- …
- grow
- increase
- rise
- …
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- [uncountable] the relationship of one thing to another in size, amount, etc. synonym ratio
- proportion of something to something The proportion of men to women in the college has changed dramatically over the years.
- in the proportion… The basic ingredients are limestone and clay in the proportion 2:1.
- in proportion to something The room is very long in proportion to (= relative to) its width.
Language Bank proportionproportionDescribing fractions and proportions- According to this pie chart, a third of students’ leisure time is spent watching TV.
- One in five hours is/are spent socializing.
- Socializing accounts for/makes up/comprises about 20 per cent of leisure time.
- Students spend twice as much time playing computer games as doing sport.
- Three times as many hours are spent playing computer games as reading.
- The figure for playing computer games is three times higher than the figure for reading.
- The largest proportion of time is spent playing computer games.
Extra Examples- The cost of insurance increases in proportion to the performance of the car.
- The human population in the region is expanding in inverse proportion to the wildlife.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- correct
- direct
- inverse
- …
- keep something in
- in proportion (to)
- out of proportion (to)
- proportion of something to something
- …
- be blown, exaggerated, etc. out of all proportion
- be blown, exaggerated, etc. out of proportion
- a sense of proportion
- …
- [uncountable, countable, usually plural] the correct relationship in size, degree, importance, etc. between one thing and another or between the parts of a whole
- in proportion (to something) You haven't drawn the figures in the foreground in proportion.
- out of proportion (with something) The head is out of proportion with the body.
- an impressive building with fine proportions
- There is an entrance hall of perfect proportions, twice as long as it is wide.
- (figurative) Always try to keep a sense of proportion (= of the relative importance of different things).
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- correct
- direct
- inverse
- …
- keep something in
- in proportion (to)
- out of proportion (to)
- proportion of something to something
- …
- be blown, exaggerated, etc. out of all proportion
- be blown, exaggerated, etc. out of proportion
- a sense of proportion
- …
- proportions[plural] the measurements of something; its size and shape
- This method divides the task into more manageable proportions.
- a food shortage that could soon reach crisis proportions
- a room of fairly generous proportions
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- biblical
- enormous
- epic
- …
- reach
- [uncountable] the equal relationship between two pairs of numbers, as in the statement ‘4 is to 8 as 6 is to 12’
part of whole
relationship
size/shape
mathematics
Word Originlate Middle English: from Old French, from Latin proportio(n-), from pro portione ‘in respect of (its or a person's) share’.
Idioms
See proportion in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee proportion in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishkeep something in proportion
- to react to something in a sensible way and not think it is worse or more serious than it really is
- The problem of hooliganism should be kept in proportion. Only a small number of young people act in this way.
out of (all) proportion (to something)
- larger, more serious, etc. in relation to something than is necessary or appropriate
- They earn salaries out of all proportion to their ability.
- The media have blown the incident up out of all proportion.
Extra Examples- The costs of the plan are out of proportion to the budget available.
- The problem has been exaggerated out of all proportion.
Check pronunciation:
proportion