The Language of Growth , Enlargement , and Decrease

Poor or imprecise use of language can often confuse a reader or listener. There is particular occasion for such confusion in discussion of growth or decrease, when the speaker or writer may want to impress or even exaggerate.

Take a photograph with area 1 and enlarge it 3 times, so it is 3 times as wide and 3 times as high. The enlargement has area 9. What are some ways you might compare this area to the original area? Let us look at some of the possibilities for filling in the blank in the sentence: