Can things “grow smaller”?
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8
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Tasty Fish Grow Smaller in Warming Ocean.
This is the headline of an online article
Growing is all about increasing in size and getting bigger while smaller is just the opposite, however, English seems to permit the two words to come together.
How is this possible?
grammaticality logic
asked yesterday
Sara
1,74321134
add a comment |
up vote
8
down vote
favorite
Tasty Fish Grow Smaller in Warming Ocean.
This is the headline of an online article
Growing is all about increasing in size and getting bigger while smaller is just the opposite, however, English seems to permit the two words to come together.
How is this possible?
grammaticality logic
asked yesterday
Sara
1,74321134
3
Certain comedians, such as George Carlin loved to joke about these kind of inconsistencies in the English language. Believe me, we know very well this doesn't make sense :)
– Andrew
yesterday
2
@Andrew It does make sense, though. Just not when you choose to interpret it literally, which people don't typically do.
– only_pro
yesterday
1
@only_pro sure, but only if you consider all (and sometimes contradictory) meanings. It doesn't mean they don't also sound superficially silly.
– Andrew
yesterday
1
It is somewhat ambiguous. A full sentence, not a headline, would have been clearer.
– Azor Ahai
yesterday
Good grief, OP's source is clearly confused. Military intelligence reveals that only jumbo shrimp grow smaller during times of civil war in aquatic landscapes (but still taste awfully good)
– A C
41 mins ago
add a comment |
up vote
8
down vote
favorite
up vote
8
down vote
favorite
Tasty Fish Grow Smaller in Warming Ocean.
This is the headline of an online article
Growing is all about increasing in size and getting bigger while smaller is just the opposite, however, English seems to permit the two words to come together.
How is this possible?
grammaticality logic
asked yesterday
Sara
1,74321134
Tasty Fish Grow Smaller in Warming Ocean.
This is the headline of an online article
Growing is all about increasing in size and getting bigger while smaller is just the opposite, however, English seems to permit the two words to come together.
How is this possible?
grammaticality logic
grammaticality logic
asked yesterday
Sara
1,74321134
asked yesterday
Sara
1,74321134
asked yesterday
Sara
1,74321134
asked yesterday
Sara
1,74321134
asked yesterday
Sara
1,74321134
1,74321134
3
Certain comedians, such as George Carlin loved to joke about these kind of inconsistencies in the English language. Believe me, we know very well this doesn't make sense :)
– Andrew
yesterday
2
@Andrew It does make sense, though. Just not when you choose to interpret it literally, which people don't typically do.
– only_pro
yesterday
1
@only_pro sure, but only if you consider all (and sometimes contradictory) meanings. It doesn't mean they don't also sound superficially silly.
– Andrew
yesterday
1
It is somewhat ambiguous. A full sentence, not a headline, would have been clearer.
– Azor Ahai
yesterday
Good grief, OP's source is clearly confused. Military intelligence reveals that only jumbo shrimp grow smaller during times of civil war in aquatic landscapes (but still taste awfully good)
– A C
41 mins ago
add a comment |
3
Certain comedians, such as George Carlin loved to joke about these kind of inconsistencies in the English language. Believe me, we know very well this doesn't make sense :)
– Andrew
yesterday
2
@Andrew It does make sense, though. Just not when you choose to interpret it literally, which people don't typically do.
– only_pro
yesterday
1
@only_pro sure, but only if you consider all (and sometimes contradictory) meanings. It doesn't mean they don't also sound superficially silly.
– Andrew
yesterday
1
It is somewhat ambiguous. A full sentence, not a headline, would have been clearer.
– Azor Ahai
yesterday
Good grief, OP's source is clearly confused. Military intelligence reveals that only jumbo shrimp grow smaller during times of civil war in aquatic landscapes (but still taste awfully good)
– A C
41 mins ago
3
3
Certain comedians, such as George Carlin loved to joke about these kind of inconsistencies in the English language. Believe me, we know very well this doesn't make sense :)
– Andrew
yesterday
Certain comedians, such as George Carlin loved to joke about these kind of inconsistencies in the English language. Believe me, we know very well this doesn't make sense :)
– Andrew
yesterday
2
2
@Andrew It does make sense, though. Just not when you choose to interpret it literally, which people don't typically do.
– only_pro
yesterday
@Andrew It does make sense, though. Just not when you choose to interpret it literally, which people don't typically do.
– only_pro
yesterday
1
1
@only_pro sure, but only if you consider all (and sometimes contradictory) meanings. It doesn't mean they don't also sound superficially silly.
– Andrew
yesterday
@only_pro sure, but only if you consider all (and sometimes contradictory) meanings. It doesn't mean they don't also sound superficially silly.
– Andrew
yesterday
1
1
It is somewhat ambiguous. A full sentence, not a headline, would have been clearer.
– Azor Ahai
yesterday
It is somewhat ambiguous. A full sentence, not a headline, would have been clearer.
– Azor Ahai
yesterday
Good grief, OP's source is clearly confused. Military intelligence reveals that only jumbo shrimp grow smaller during times of civil war in aquatic landscapes (but still taste awfully good)
– A C
41 mins ago
Good grief, OP's source is clearly confused. Military intelligence reveals that only jumbo shrimp grow smaller during times of civil war in aquatic landscapes (but still taste awfully good)
– A C
41 mins ago
add a comment |
6 Answers
6
active
oldest
votes
up vote
26
down vote
Oxford lists three primary meanings for the word grow. The first two reflect what we often immediately think of when we think about growing:
grow (v.) to undergo natural development by increasing in size and changing physically
grow (v.) to become larger or greater over a period of time; to increase
It’s the third meaning, though, that provides the key to your apparent oxymoron:
grow (v.) to become, gradually or increasingly :
sharing our experiences we grew braver
So, if the number of fish are gradually becoming diminished, then a headline might say:
Tasty Fish Grow Smaller in Warming Ocean
More likely, though, is probably referring to the size of the fish, if the gradually-warming ocean is causing the fish to become smaller over time (or, perhaps more accurately, "causing the average size of adult fish to become smaller over time").
answered yesterday
J.R.♦
96.7k8126242
1
I think you should be clearer that these are three meanings you think are relevant to the question, not that they are the only three meanings.
– Acccumulation
yesterday
8
If it’s the number of fish that’s decreasing, you would never use ‘smaller’ at all. You might say the fish are growing fewer, or that the number of fish is growing smaller, but not that the fish are growing smaller – that refers unambiguously to their size.
– Janus Bahs Jacquet
yesterday
@Accumulation - I put a link to the dictionary entry I used; that dictionary lists three primary meanings, and the other definitions provided there are "sub-meanings". But either way, you're right, there is never a set number of meanings that word can have. Different dictionaries are free to add more definitions for different nuances as they see fit.
– J.R.♦
yesterday
1
@Janus - You're right; I was assuming that a headline writer might have left off the "Number of" to keep the headline short. I've reworded my answer to make it a bit less misleading. Nice catch.
– J.R.♦
yesterday
1
@WhatRoughBeast Agreed. To me, "become smaller" makes it sound more like the individual fish are shrinking in size, which I doubt is what the author meant (though the original headline could also be interpreted that way).
– p.s.w.g
5 hours ago
|
show 3 more comments
up vote
25
down vote
Grow and smaller aren't linked the way you are interpreting it. The sentence is saying that fish that used to reach a certain size in adulthood aren't growing that big in a warmer ocean, they are smaller than their predecessors.
answered yesterday
pboss3010
50414
5
This sentence aside, google shows many other sentences with grow smaller meaning become smaller or get smaller. For example, "Why Belgian coins grow smaller."
– Sara
yesterday
2
This was my assumption too. As it is a headline, to reduce the length, it may be missing implied words. "...fish grow to a smaller size in..." would be more correct in this case.
– Baldrickk
16 hours ago
1
I agree that's what it means, but they could definitely have expressed it better, e.g. "Don't grow as large".
– Hellion
10 hours ago
In the context of the question, this is the right answer.
– Khalid Hussain
3 hours ago
add a comment |
up vote
3
down vote
As well as the common usage of grow to increase in size it can also be used to indicate a gradual or progressive change of state for example
As night fell it began to grow colder.
Having said that using the phrase 'grow' smaller is probably best avoided as it is a bit ambiguous as it is not clear whether it means they actually shrink or they just grow more slowly, reach a smaller maximum size or indicating a trend in in the population as a whole over time.
Although this is often the case with headlines and often the ambiguity is deliberate in order to make a story sound more interesting or sensational than it really is.
answered 16 hours ago
Chris Johns
44925
add a comment |
up vote
0
down vote
What you are referring to is the basic form of speech that we use informally but is not correct ."Things can shrink smaller" is the correct usage .Also sometimes "grow smaller" can be used as an oxymoron in a poem .
answered 17 hours ago
SLADE
1
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SLADE is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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1
Hmmm... Journalists don't seem to have any problem using the phase grow smaller in newspaper articles. Moreover, in books, the phrase shrink smaller is dwarfed by the expression grow smaller, and I doubt that's all oxymoronic poetry.
– J.R.♦
13 hours ago
I think that its used to spice the sentences up ....
– SLADE
13 hours ago
1
As mobile computing devices grow smaller and as in-car computing platforms become more common, we must augment traditional methods of human-computer interaction (from the abstract of "Pervasive Speech Recognition"). The gist of Moore's law is that as time passes, circuits will grow smaller in size, but bigger in functions due to the more efficient packing method to accommodate more components that are tinier (from "Assessment of High Temperature, Lead Free Paste Alternatives for Semiconductor Packaging"). Sorry, but I don't think those authors are being cute or "spicing things up".
– J.R.♦
13 hours ago
add a comment |
up vote
0
down vote
I don’t see any conflict in it.
Yes, “to grow” means get bigger and they are! but consider that they grow less than expected.
Tasty Fish Grow Smaller [than it is expected] in Warming Ocean.
answered 9 hours ago
Zich
1135
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up vote
-1
down vote
Yes. Many people, places, and thing can grow smaller. For example, A little person grows smaller than the average adult human.
answered 12 hours ago
jehovahsays
991
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jehovahsays is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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6 Answers
6
active
oldest
votes
6 Answers
6
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
up vote
26
down vote
Oxford lists three primary meanings for the word grow. The first two reflect what we often immediately think of when we think about growing:
grow (v.) to undergo natural development by increasing in size and changing physically
grow (v.) to become larger or greater over a period of time; to increase
It’s the third meaning, though, that provides the key to your apparent oxymoron:
grow (v.) to become, gradually or increasingly :
sharing our experiences we grew braver
So, if the number of fish are gradually becoming diminished, then a headline might say:
Tasty Fish Grow Smaller in Warming Ocean
More likely, though, is probably referring to the size of the fish, if the gradually-warming ocean is causing the fish to become smaller over time (or, perhaps more accurately, "causing the average size of adult fish to become smaller over time").
answered yesterday
J.R.♦
96.7k8126242
1
I think you should be clearer that these are three meanings you think are relevant to the question, not that they are the only three meanings.
– Acccumulation
yesterday
8
If it’s the number of fish that’s decreasing, you would never use ‘smaller’ at all. You might say the fish are growing fewer, or that the number of fish is growing smaller, but not that the fish are growing smaller – that refers unambiguously to their size.
– Janus Bahs Jacquet
yesterday
@Accumulation - I put a link to the dictionary entry I used; that dictionary lists three primary meanings, and the other definitions provided there are "sub-meanings". But either way, you're right, there is never a set number of meanings that word can have. Different dictionaries are free to add more definitions for different nuances as they see fit.
– J.R.♦
yesterday
1
@Janus - You're right; I was assuming that a headline writer might have left off the "Number of" to keep the headline short. I've reworded my answer to make it a bit less misleading. Nice catch.
– J.R.♦
yesterday
1
@WhatRoughBeast Agreed. To me, "become smaller" makes it sound more like the individual fish are shrinking in size, which I doubt is what the author meant (though the original headline could also be interpreted that way).
– p.s.w.g
5 hours ago
|
show 3 more comments
up vote
26
down vote
Oxford lists three primary meanings for the word grow. The first two reflect what we often immediately think of when we think about growing:
grow (v.) to undergo natural development by increasing in size and changing physically
grow (v.) to become larger or greater over a period of time; to increase
It’s the third meaning, though, that provides the key to your apparent oxymoron:
grow (v.) to become, gradually or increasingly :
sharing our experiences we grew braver
So, if the number of fish are gradually becoming diminished, then a headline might say:
Tasty Fish Grow Smaller in Warming Ocean
More likely, though, is probably referring to the size of the fish, if the gradually-warming ocean is causing the fish to become smaller over time (or, perhaps more accurately, "causing the average size of adult fish to become smaller over time").
answered yesterday
J.R.♦
96.7k8126242
1
I think you should be clearer that these are three meanings you think are relevant to the question, not that they are the only three meanings.
– Acccumulation
yesterday
8
If it’s the number of fish that’s decreasing, you would never use ‘smaller’ at all. You might say the fish are growing fewer, or that the number of fish is growing smaller, but not that the fish are growing smaller – that refers unambiguously to their size.
– Janus Bahs Jacquet
yesterday
@Accumulation - I put a link to the dictionary entry I used; that dictionary lists three primary meanings, and the other definitions provided there are "sub-meanings". But either way, you're right, there is never a set number of meanings that word can have. Different dictionaries are free to add more definitions for different nuances as they see fit.
– J.R.♦
yesterday
1
@Janus - You're right; I was assuming that a headline writer might have left off the "Number of" to keep the headline short. I've reworded my answer to make it a bit less misleading. Nice catch.
– J.R.♦
yesterday
1
@WhatRoughBeast Agreed. To me, "become smaller" makes it sound more like the individual fish are shrinking in size, which I doubt is what the author meant (though the original headline could also be interpreted that way).
– p.s.w.g
5 hours ago
|
show 3 more comments
up vote
26
down vote
up vote
26
down vote
Oxford lists three primary meanings for the word grow. The first two reflect what we often immediately think of when we think about growing:
grow (v.) to undergo natural development by increasing in size and changing physically
grow (v.) to become larger or greater over a period of time; to increase
It’s the third meaning, though, that provides the key to your apparent oxymoron:
grow (v.) to become, gradually or increasingly :
sharing our experiences we grew braver
So, if the number of fish are gradually becoming diminished, then a headline might say:
Tasty Fish Grow Smaller in Warming Ocean
More likely, though, is probably referring to the size of the fish, if the gradually-warming ocean is causing the fish to become smaller over time (or, perhaps more accurately, "causing the average size of adult fish to become smaller over time").
answered yesterday
J.R.♦
96.7k8126242
Oxford lists three primary meanings for the word grow. The first two reflect what we often immediately think of when we think about growing:
grow (v.) to undergo natural development by increasing in size and changing physically
grow (v.) to become larger or greater over a period of time; to increase
It’s the third meaning, though, that provides the key to your apparent oxymoron:
grow (v.) to become, gradually or increasingly :
sharing our experiences we grew braver
So, if the number of fish are gradually becoming diminished, then a headline might say:
Tasty Fish Grow Smaller in Warming Ocean
More likely, though, is probably referring to the size of the fish, if the gradually-warming ocean is causing the fish to become smaller over time (or, perhaps more accurately, "causing the average size of adult fish to become smaller over time").
answered yesterday
J.R.♦
96.7k8126242
edited 7 hours ago
answered yesterday
J.R.♦
96.7k8126242
answered yesterday
J.R.♦
96.7k8126242
answered yesterday
J.R.♦
96.7k8126242
96.7k8126242
1
I think you should be clearer that these are three meanings you think are relevant to the question, not that they are the only three meanings.
– Acccumulation
yesterday
8
If it’s the number of fish that’s decreasing, you would never use ‘smaller’ at all. You might say the fish are growing fewer, or that the number of fish is growing smaller, but not that the fish are growing smaller – that refers unambiguously to their size.
– Janus Bahs Jacquet
yesterday
@Accumulation - I put a link to the dictionary entry I used; that dictionary lists three primary meanings, and the other definitions provided there are "sub-meanings". But either way, you're right, there is never a set number of meanings that word can have. Different dictionaries are free to add more definitions for different nuances as they see fit.
– J.R.♦
yesterday
1
@Janus - You're right; I was assuming that a headline writer might have left off the "Number of" to keep the headline short. I've reworded my answer to make it a bit less misleading. Nice catch.
– J.R.♦
yesterday
1
@WhatRoughBeast Agreed. To me, "become smaller" makes it sound more like the individual fish are shrinking in size, which I doubt is what the author meant (though the original headline could also be interpreted that way).
– p.s.w.g
5 hours ago
|
show 3 more comments
1
I think you should be clearer that these are three meanings you think are relevant to the question, not that they are the only three meanings.
– Acccumulation
yesterday
8
If it’s the number of fish that’s decreasing, you would never use ‘smaller’ at all. You might say the fish are growing fewer, or that the number of fish is growing smaller, but not that the fish are growing smaller – that refers unambiguously to their size.
– Janus Bahs Jacquet
yesterday
@Accumulation - I put a link to the dictionary entry I used; that dictionary lists three primary meanings, and the other definitions provided there are "sub-meanings". But either way, you're right, there is never a set number of meanings that word can have. Different dictionaries are free to add more definitions for different nuances as they see fit.
– J.R.♦
yesterday
1
@Janus - You're right; I was assuming that a headline writer might have left off the "Number of" to keep the headline short. I've reworded my answer to make it a bit less misleading. Nice catch.
– J.R.♦
yesterday
1
@WhatRoughBeast Agreed. To me, "become smaller" makes it sound more like the individual fish are shrinking in size, which I doubt is what the author meant (though the original headline could also be interpreted that way).
– p.s.w.g
5 hours ago
1
1
I think you should be clearer that these are three meanings you think are relevant to the question, not that they are the only three meanings.
– Acccumulation
yesterday
I think you should be clearer that these are three meanings you think are relevant to the question, not that they are the only three meanings.
– Acccumulation
yesterday
8
8
If it’s the number of fish that’s decreasing, you would never use ‘smaller’ at all. You might say the fish are growing fewer, or that the number of fish is growing smaller, but not that the fish are growing smaller – that refers unambiguously to their size.
– Janus Bahs Jacquet
yesterday
If it’s the number of fish that’s decreasing, you would never use ‘smaller’ at all. You might say the fish are growing fewer, or that the number of fish is growing smaller, but not that the fish are growing smaller – that refers unambiguously to their size.
– Janus Bahs Jacquet
yesterday
@Accumulation - I put a link to the dictionary entry I used; that dictionary lists three primary meanings, and the other definitions provided there are "sub-meanings". But either way, you're right, there is never a set number of meanings that word can have. Different dictionaries are free to add more definitions for different nuances as they see fit.
– J.R.♦
yesterday
@Accumulation - I put a link to the dictionary entry I used; that dictionary lists three primary meanings, and the other definitions provided there are "sub-meanings". But either way, you're right, there is never a set number of meanings that word can have. Different dictionaries are free to add more definitions for different nuances as they see fit.
– J.R.♦
yesterday
1
1
@Janus - You're right; I was assuming that a headline writer might have left off the "Number of" to keep the headline short. I've reworded my answer to make it a bit less misleading. Nice catch.
– J.R.♦
yesterday
@Janus - You're right; I was assuming that a headline writer might have left off the "Number of" to keep the headline short. I've reworded my answer to make it a bit less misleading. Nice catch.
– J.R.♦
yesterday
1
1
@WhatRoughBeast Agreed. To me, "become smaller" makes it sound more like the individual fish are shrinking in size, which I doubt is what the author meant (though the original headline could also be interpreted that way).
– p.s.w.g
5 hours ago
@WhatRoughBeast Agreed. To me, "become smaller" makes it sound more like the individual fish are shrinking in size, which I doubt is what the author meant (though the original headline could also be interpreted that way).
– p.s.w.g
5 hours ago
|
show 3 more comments
up vote
25
down vote
Grow and smaller aren't linked the way you are interpreting it. The sentence is saying that fish that used to reach a certain size in adulthood aren't growing that big in a warmer ocean, they are smaller than their predecessors.
answered yesterday
pboss3010
50414
5
This sentence aside, google shows many other sentences with grow smaller meaning become smaller or get smaller. For example, "Why Belgian coins grow smaller."
– Sara
yesterday
2
This was my assumption too. As it is a headline, to reduce the length, it may be missing implied words. "...fish grow to a smaller size in..." would be more correct in this case.
– Baldrickk
16 hours ago
1
I agree that's what it means, but they could definitely have expressed it better, e.g. "Don't grow as large".
– Hellion
10 hours ago
In the context of the question, this is the right answer.
– Khalid Hussain
3 hours ago
add a comment |
up vote
25
down vote
Grow and smaller aren't linked the way you are interpreting it. The sentence is saying that fish that used to reach a certain size in adulthood aren't growing that big in a warmer ocean, they are smaller than their predecessors.
answered yesterday
pboss3010
50414
5
This sentence aside, google shows many other sentences with grow smaller meaning become smaller or get smaller. For example, "Why Belgian coins grow smaller."
– Sara
yesterday
2
This was my assumption too. As it is a headline, to reduce the length, it may be missing implied words. "...fish grow to a smaller size in..." would be more correct in this case.
– Baldrickk
16 hours ago
1
I agree that's what it means, but they could definitely have expressed it better, e.g. "Don't grow as large".
– Hellion
10 hours ago
In the context of the question, this is the right answer.
– Khalid Hussain
3 hours ago
add a comment |
up vote
25
down vote
up vote
25
down vote
Grow and smaller aren't linked the way you are interpreting it. The sentence is saying that fish that used to reach a certain size in adulthood aren't growing that big in a warmer ocean, they are smaller than their predecessors.
answered yesterday
pboss3010
50414
Grow and smaller aren't linked the way you are interpreting it. The sentence is saying that fish that used to reach a certain size in adulthood aren't growing that big in a warmer ocean, they are smaller than their predecessors.
answered yesterday
pboss3010
50414
answered yesterday
pboss3010
50414
answered yesterday
pboss3010
50414
answered yesterday
pboss3010
50414
50414
5
This sentence aside, google shows many other sentences with grow smaller meaning become smaller or get smaller. For example, "Why Belgian coins grow smaller."
– Sara
yesterday
2
This was my assumption too. As it is a headline, to reduce the length, it may be missing implied words. "...fish grow to a smaller size in..." would be more correct in this case.
– Baldrickk
16 hours ago
1
I agree that's what it means, but they could definitely have expressed it better, e.g. "Don't grow as large".
– Hellion
10 hours ago
In the context of the question, this is the right answer.
– Khalid Hussain
3 hours ago
add a comment |
5
This sentence aside, google shows many other sentences with grow smaller meaning become smaller or get smaller. For example, "Why Belgian coins grow smaller."
– Sara
yesterday
2
This was my assumption too. As it is a headline, to reduce the length, it may be missing implied words. "...fish grow to a smaller size in..." would be more correct in this case.
– Baldrickk
16 hours ago
1
I agree that's what it means, but they could definitely have expressed it better, e.g. "Don't grow as large".
– Hellion
10 hours ago
In the context of the question, this is the right answer.
– Khalid Hussain
3 hours ago
5
5
This sentence aside, google shows many other sentences with grow smaller meaning become smaller or get smaller. For example, "Why Belgian coins grow smaller."
– Sara
yesterday
This sentence aside, google shows many other sentences with grow smaller meaning become smaller or get smaller. For example, "Why Belgian coins grow smaller."
– Sara
yesterday
2
2
This was my assumption too. As it is a headline, to reduce the length, it may be missing implied words. "...fish grow to a smaller size in..." would be more correct in this case.
– Baldrickk
16 hours ago
This was my assumption too. As it is a headline, to reduce the length, it may be missing implied words. "...fish grow to a smaller size in..." would be more correct in this case.
– Baldrickk
16 hours ago
1
1
I agree that's what it means, but they could definitely have expressed it better, e.g. "Don't grow as large".
– Hellion
10 hours ago
I agree that's what it means, but they could definitely have expressed it better, e.g. "Don't grow as large".
– Hellion
10 hours ago
In the context of the question, this is the right answer.
– Khalid Hussain
3 hours ago
In the context of the question, this is the right answer.
– Khalid Hussain
3 hours ago
add a comment |
up vote
3
down vote
As well as the common usage of grow to increase in size it can also be used to indicate a gradual or progressive change of state for example
As night fell it began to grow colder.
Having said that using the phrase 'grow' smaller is probably best avoided as it is a bit ambiguous as it is not clear whether it means they actually shrink or they just grow more slowly, reach a smaller maximum size or indicating a trend in in the population as a whole over time.
Although this is often the case with headlines and often the ambiguity is deliberate in order to make a story sound more interesting or sensational than it really is.
answered 16 hours ago
Chris Johns
44925
add a comment |
up vote
3
down vote
As well as the common usage of grow to increase in size it can also be used to indicate a gradual or progressive change of state for example
As night fell it began to grow colder.
Having said that using the phrase 'grow' smaller is probably best avoided as it is a bit ambiguous as it is not clear whether it means they actually shrink or they just grow more slowly, reach a smaller maximum size or indicating a trend in in the population as a whole over time.
Although this is often the case with headlines and often the ambiguity is deliberate in order to make a story sound more interesting or sensational than it really is.
answered 16 hours ago
Chris Johns
44925
add a comment |
up vote
3
down vote
up vote
3
down vote
As well as the common usage of grow to increase in size it can also be used to indicate a gradual or progressive change of state for example
As night fell it began to grow colder.
Having said that using the phrase 'grow' smaller is probably best avoided as it is a bit ambiguous as it is not clear whether it means they actually shrink or they just grow more slowly, reach a smaller maximum size or indicating a trend in in the population as a whole over time.
Although this is often the case with headlines and often the ambiguity is deliberate in order to make a story sound more interesting or sensational than it really is.
answered 16 hours ago
Chris Johns
44925
As well as the common usage of grow to increase in size it can also be used to indicate a gradual or progressive change of state for example
As night fell it began to grow colder.
Having said that using the phrase 'grow' smaller is probably best avoided as it is a bit ambiguous as it is not clear whether it means they actually shrink or they just grow more slowly, reach a smaller maximum size or indicating a trend in in the population as a whole over time.
Although this is often the case with headlines and often the ambiguity is deliberate in order to make a story sound more interesting or sensational than it really is.
answered 16 hours ago
Chris Johns
44925
answered 16 hours ago
Chris Johns
44925
answered 16 hours ago
Chris Johns
44925
answered 16 hours ago
Chris Johns
44925
44925
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0
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What you are referring to is the basic form of speech that we use informally but is not correct ."Things can shrink smaller" is the correct usage .Also sometimes "grow smaller" can be used as an oxymoron in a poem .
answered 17 hours ago
SLADE
1
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1
Hmmm... Journalists don't seem to have any problem using the phase grow smaller in newspaper articles. Moreover, in books, the phrase shrink smaller is dwarfed by the expression grow smaller, and I doubt that's all oxymoronic poetry.
– J.R.♦
13 hours ago
I think that its used to spice the sentences up ....
– SLADE
13 hours ago
1
As mobile computing devices grow smaller and as in-car computing platforms become more common, we must augment traditional methods of human-computer interaction (from the abstract of "Pervasive Speech Recognition"). The gist of Moore's law is that as time passes, circuits will grow smaller in size, but bigger in functions due to the more efficient packing method to accommodate more components that are tinier (from "Assessment of High Temperature, Lead Free Paste Alternatives for Semiconductor Packaging"). Sorry, but I don't think those authors are being cute or "spicing things up".
– J.R.♦
13 hours ago
add a comment |
up vote
0
down vote
What you are referring to is the basic form of speech that we use informally but is not correct ."Things can shrink smaller" is the correct usage .Also sometimes "grow smaller" can be used as an oxymoron in a poem .
answered 17 hours ago
SLADE
1
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SLADE is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
1
Hmmm... Journalists don't seem to have any problem using the phase grow smaller in newspaper articles. Moreover, in books, the phrase shrink smaller is dwarfed by the expression grow smaller, and I doubt that's all oxymoronic poetry.
– J.R.♦
13 hours ago
I think that its used to spice the sentences up ....
– SLADE
13 hours ago
1
As mobile computing devices grow smaller and as in-car computing platforms become more common, we must augment traditional methods of human-computer interaction (from the abstract of "Pervasive Speech Recognition"). The gist of Moore's law is that as time passes, circuits will grow smaller in size, but bigger in functions due to the more efficient packing method to accommodate more components that are tinier (from "Assessment of High Temperature, Lead Free Paste Alternatives for Semiconductor Packaging"). Sorry, but I don't think those authors are being cute or "spicing things up".
– J.R.♦
13 hours ago
add a comment |
up vote
0
down vote
up vote
0
down vote
What you are referring to is the basic form of speech that we use informally but is not correct ."Things can shrink smaller" is the correct usage .Also sometimes "grow smaller" can be used as an oxymoron in a poem .
answered 17 hours ago
SLADE
1
New contributor
SLADE is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
What you are referring to is the basic form of speech that we use informally but is not correct ."Things can shrink smaller" is the correct usage .Also sometimes "grow smaller" can be used as an oxymoron in a poem .
answered 17 hours ago
SLADE
1
New contributor
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answered 17 hours ago
SLADE
1
New contributor
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answered 17 hours ago
SLADE
1
answered 17 hours ago
SLADE
1
1
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New contributor
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1
Hmmm... Journalists don't seem to have any problem using the phase grow smaller in newspaper articles. Moreover, in books, the phrase shrink smaller is dwarfed by the expression grow smaller, and I doubt that's all oxymoronic poetry.
– J.R.♦
13 hours ago
I think that its used to spice the sentences up ....
– SLADE
13 hours ago
1
As mobile computing devices grow smaller and as in-car computing platforms become more common, we must augment traditional methods of human-computer interaction (from the abstract of "Pervasive Speech Recognition"). The gist of Moore's law is that as time passes, circuits will grow smaller in size, but bigger in functions due to the more efficient packing method to accommodate more components that are tinier (from "Assessment of High Temperature, Lead Free Paste Alternatives for Semiconductor Packaging"). Sorry, but I don't think those authors are being cute or "spicing things up".
– J.R.♦
13 hours ago
add a comment |
1
Hmmm... Journalists don't seem to have any problem using the phase grow smaller in newspaper articles. Moreover, in books, the phrase shrink smaller is dwarfed by the expression grow smaller, and I doubt that's all oxymoronic poetry.
– J.R.♦
13 hours ago
I think that its used to spice the sentences up ....
– SLADE
13 hours ago
1
As mobile computing devices grow smaller and as in-car computing platforms become more common, we must augment traditional methods of human-computer interaction (from the abstract of "Pervasive Speech Recognition"). The gist of Moore's law is that as time passes, circuits will grow smaller in size, but bigger in functions due to the more efficient packing method to accommodate more components that are tinier (from "Assessment of High Temperature, Lead Free Paste Alternatives for Semiconductor Packaging"). Sorry, but I don't think those authors are being cute or "spicing things up".
– J.R.♦
13 hours ago
1
1
Hmmm... Journalists don't seem to have any problem using the phase grow smaller in newspaper articles. Moreover, in books, the phrase shrink smaller is dwarfed by the expression grow smaller, and I doubt that's all oxymoronic poetry.
– J.R.♦
13 hours ago
Hmmm... Journalists don't seem to have any problem using the phase grow smaller in newspaper articles. Moreover, in books, the phrase shrink smaller is dwarfed by the expression grow smaller, and I doubt that's all oxymoronic poetry.
– J.R.♦
13 hours ago
I think that its used to spice the sentences up ....
– SLADE
13 hours ago
I think that its used to spice the sentences up ....
– SLADE
13 hours ago
1
1
As mobile computing devices grow smaller and as in-car computing platforms become more common, we must augment traditional methods of human-computer interaction (from the abstract of "Pervasive Speech Recognition"). The gist of Moore's law is that as time passes, circuits will grow smaller in size, but bigger in functions due to the more efficient packing method to accommodate more components that are tinier (from "Assessment of High Temperature, Lead Free Paste Alternatives for Semiconductor Packaging"). Sorry, but I don't think those authors are being cute or "spicing things up".
– J.R.♦
13 hours ago
As mobile computing devices grow smaller and as in-car computing platforms become more common, we must augment traditional methods of human-computer interaction (from the abstract of "Pervasive Speech Recognition"). The gist of Moore's law is that as time passes, circuits will grow smaller in size, but bigger in functions due to the more efficient packing method to accommodate more components that are tinier (from "Assessment of High Temperature, Lead Free Paste Alternatives for Semiconductor Packaging"). Sorry, but I don't think those authors are being cute or "spicing things up".
– J.R.♦
13 hours ago
add a comment |
up vote
0
down vote
I don’t see any conflict in it.
Yes, “to grow” means get bigger and they are! but consider that they grow less than expected.
Tasty Fish Grow Smaller [than it is expected] in Warming Ocean.
answered 9 hours ago
Zich
1135
add a comment |
up vote
0
down vote
I don’t see any conflict in it.
Yes, “to grow” means get bigger and they are! but consider that they grow less than expected.
Tasty Fish Grow Smaller [than it is expected] in Warming Ocean.
answered 9 hours ago
Zich
1135
add a comment |
up vote
0
down vote
up vote
0
down vote
I don’t see any conflict in it.
Yes, “to grow” means get bigger and they are! but consider that they grow less than expected.
Tasty Fish Grow Smaller [than it is expected] in Warming Ocean.
answered 9 hours ago
Zich
1135
I don’t see any conflict in it.
Yes, “to grow” means get bigger and they are! but consider that they grow less than expected.
Tasty Fish Grow Smaller [than it is expected] in Warming Ocean.
answered 9 hours ago
Zich
1135
answered 9 hours ago
Zich
1135
answered 9 hours ago
Zich
1135
answered 9 hours ago
Zich
1135
1135
add a comment |
add a comment |
up vote
-1
down vote
Yes. Many people, places, and thing can grow smaller. For example, A little person grows smaller than the average adult human.
answered 12 hours ago
jehovahsays
991
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up vote
-1
down vote
Yes. Many people, places, and thing can grow smaller. For example, A little person grows smaller than the average adult human.
answered 12 hours ago
jehovahsays
991
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up vote
-1
down vote
up vote
-1
down vote
Yes. Many people, places, and thing can grow smaller. For example, A little person grows smaller than the average adult human.
answered 12 hours ago
jehovahsays
991
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Yes. Many people, places, and thing can grow smaller. For example, A little person grows smaller than the average adult human.
answered 12 hours ago
jehovahsays
991
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answered 12 hours ago
jehovahsays
991
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answered 12 hours ago
jehovahsays
991
answered 12 hours ago
jehovahsays
991
991
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New contributor
jehovahsays is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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3
Certain comedians, such as George Carlin loved to joke about these kind of inconsistencies in the English language. Believe me, we know very well this doesn't make sense :)
– Andrew
yesterday
2
@Andrew It does make sense, though. Just not when you choose to interpret it literally, which people don't typically do.
– only_pro
yesterday
1
@only_pro sure, but only if you consider all (and sometimes contradictory) meanings. It doesn't mean they don't also sound superficially silly.
– Andrew
yesterday
1
It is somewhat ambiguous. A full sentence, not a headline, would have been clearer.
– Azor Ahai
yesterday
Good grief, OP's source is clearly confused. Military intelligence reveals that only jumbo shrimp grow smaller during times of civil war in aquatic landscapes (but still taste awfully good)
– A C
41 mins ago