Saturday, March 26, 2011

or so

This phrase is another way of saying approximately and usually goes right after a quantity or amount. So, "5 hours or so" means approximately 5 hours. Sometimes, the phrase goes right after the number: There were ten or so kids there. This structure, though, tends to sound more informal. In addition, although this phrase already means approximately, sometimes you'll hear the word "approximately" or "about" used in conjunction with this phrase. We saw about 10 sharks or so swimming around the boat. However, because this sounds redundant, we usually just use one or the other in our writing. 


like this:
1. There are 10 or so old cell phones in that drawer.
2. How many guests were there at the party? Oh, about 30 or so.
3. The speaker will talk for 15 minutes or so, then we will start the celebration.


Try to make your own sentences. Good luck! 

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