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What does it mean? - "proportional fashion"

Posted by Kate Nguyen on October 21, 2015

Hi guys,

While learning some new collocations today I found an example that I just couldn't get the whole meaning of the sentence. (Even though I did google a lot T__T)

This is the example for the collocation "broad range" that contains words which I'm so confused about:

E.g: "The color produced from this reaction is stable and increases in a PROPORTIONAL FASHION over a broad range of increasing protein concentration".

Could anybody please help me explaining what "proportional fashion" here means?

By the way, I got to know it from an article at italki named "Transform your academic English skills with these 50 collocations". I think it might be helpful for someone to learn more about collocations :D.

Thanks in advance :)

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Comments

Mohammad October 22, 2015 22:15

Dear Kate

In this sentence "[intensity of] the color produced from this reaction is stable and increases in a PROPORTIONAL FASHION over a broad range of increasing protein concentration"

It wants to say that the final product of the reaction is the color. the color is produced by increasing the protein concentration. But how? in a proportional fashion ,,, meaning the amount of produced color is related to amount of increased protein concentration. That proportion is a number. For example when we say in proportional of 1 to 100 (or 1/100 or 1 over 100) means by increasing 100 units of the protein concentration, the color is increased 1 unit.

The proportion can be in inverse or non-inverse (direct) modes. Also the proportion can be linear or non-linear. I do not explain more because you might be confused.

Cheers
Kate Nguyen October 22, 2015 6:27

@Ayoub: "proportional fashion" is not one of the collocations I mentioned here (I just learnt to know about it from an example about "broad range" which is a collocation)

@Alice E.: thanks a lot Alice. But I still wonder if these 2 words "proportional" and "fashion" should be together in oder to express this meaning or it's just in this case? I mean, can I use "proportional fashion" to talk about other stuff with the same meaning here or should I use things like "proportional way"?
Alice E. October 22, 2015 4:16

Ayoub got it right. Proportional fashion in this context would mean that the color would increase in a manner that is proportional or equal to the protein concentration added. If you added 2 ml protein concentration then your color would darken or lighten accordingly.
Ayoub October 21, 2015 23:45

i think that prpportional fashion is not a collocation.
According to its context, It may mean appropriate way. but i'm not so sure.