Quantify

Quantify Quantify Quantify By Maeve Maddox A reader has asked me to discuss the word quantify: I was hoping you could help me with the word quantify. I feel like Im not quite using it correctly. As a term in logic, quantify means to ascribe universal or particular quantity to a term or proposition. For example, the statement â€Å"Dogs are playful† is not quantified. Adding a word like some or all quantifies it: â€Å"Some dogs are playful.† â€Å"All dogs are playful.† The Ngram Viewer indicates that quantify, along with metrics, has become especially popular since the 1960s. A Google search brings up 23,700,000 results for quantify and 90,600,000 for metrics. Note: The business definition of metrics is â€Å"standards of measurement by which efficiency, performance, progress, or quality of a plan, process, or product can be assessed.†    The urge to quantify by accumulating metrics seems to be as popular in our culture as coveting granite countertops. Job hunters are urged to quantify their resumes. Organizations study performance metrics. Bloggers quantify success by counting such things as visits and comments. As far as I can tell, in general usage, quantify means â€Å"put everything you can in the form of numbers or percentages.† Three ways to Quantify Achievements on Your Resume Quantifying the Clickbait and Linkbait in BuzzFeed Article Titles Track Thyself: Quantify Your Life For Productivity, Fun Quantify your ergonomic risk The Quantified Baby How to quantify your bodybuilding and transform your physique Social media users are obsessed with quantifying: I wish that I  could give more than five stars  for mobile kangaroo! . On a scale of 1 to 10  how would you rate your life? As of today I have over 100 followers on Twitter, and more  than 80 subscribers to my blog!   My  meow mix  video got a million shares  on Facebook today. The only errors I found in the use of quantify were in statements that used quantify where I would expect qualify. For example: â€Å"You need to quantify your opinions.† As the speaker was not asking for numbers, the verb qualify, â€Å"to modify (a statement, opinion, etc.) by the addition of some limitation or reservation,† was the more appropriate choice. If there’s a problem with the use of quantify, it lies in the implied message that everything of importance can be rendered in terms of numerical facts. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:12 Greek Words You Should Know"Owing to" vs "Due to"How Do You Fare?