A#o O note at regard iHiiJ This pattern is usually used in the passive.

per Cent 0“w (especially BrE) (NAmE usually per-cent) /pa 'sent; NAmE par 'sent/ {symb %) noun, adj., adv. m noun (pi. per cent, per-cent) one part in every hundred ftftX--: Poor families spend about 80 to 90 per cent of their income on food.     ifj 80%

fij 90%      a o It is often stated that we use only

10 per cent of our brain.       AM lift T AJ®#J

10% o o What per cent of the population is/are over­weight?        A£AP£*lft^tk?

madj., adv. by in or for every hundred — W 4*: a 15 per cent rise in price   15% o House prices rose

five per cent last year. XftfeifrXWiftftZXo per-cent-age /pa'sentid3; NAmE par's-/ noun 1 [C+sing./ pi. v.] the number, amount, rate of sth, expressed as if it is part of a total which is 100; a part or share of a whole  ft ft it: What percentage of the popula­

tion is/are overweight? MStWA^ tfc ? o A high percentage of the female staff are part-time workers. R-fl ft,     M AW       O

Interest rates are expected to rise by one percentage point (= one per cent).    0

The figure is expressed as a percentage.

o The results were analysed in percentage terms. ^^^i&^ftlfcfttiTtfJo 2 [C, usually sing.] a share of the profits of sth fij $t (ft ft J$ ; it J& : He gets a percentage for every car sold, ftfe fftr ft—A ft # ?!] —

vmai.

GRAMMAR POINT

expressing percentages

Percentages (= numbers of per cent) are written in words as twenty-five per cent and in figures as 25%. If ^fcfcft^/f^AA twenty-five per cent, ft^A^AA 25% 0

If a percentage is used with an uncountable or a singular noun the verb is generally singular. Tfftlfcfti

90%

of the land is cultivated. * 90% (ftfti&Ellffh If the noun is singular but represents a group of people, the verb is singular in NAmE but in BrE it may be singular or plural.

ij(Ntft4»,    IW: Eighty per

cent of the workforce is/are against the strike. ftftX

If the noun is plural, the verb is plural. /P^^iaJASL ffc, Alis] A 30&: 65% of children play computer games. * 65%

per-cent-ile /pa'sentail; NAmE par's-/ noun (technical A it) one of the 100 equal groups that a larger group of people can be divided into, according to their place on a scale measuring a particular value ft ffLWi : Overall these students rank in the 21st percentile on the tests— that is, they did worse than 79 per cent of all children taking the test. &&4*k&l&fr'gftQLW%AH 21

per ceptible /pa'septabl; NAmE par's-/ adj. (formal)

1                  great enough for you to notice it ft %$%3\ (ft; Hi# ft (ft H771 noticeable : a perceptible change/increase/ decline/impact ft/ fg-fc / API / S2H& 0 The price increase has had no perceptible effect on sales.

H      U X X fi %■ B|bJ o 0 Her foreign accent

was barely perceptible. MWfhBnSftAn/fAftAo

2                  (technical Ain) that you can notice or feel with your

senses ft $P (ft; the perceptible world of ^

(ft # PTin imperceptible ► per-cep-tibly /-abli/ adv.: Income per head rose perceptibly. #A(ftitftAB#il tli^To o It was perceptibly colder. T0

percep tion /pa'sepjn; NAmE par's-/ noun 1 [U] (formal or technical A in') the way you notice things, especially with the senses ; [fl ■. our perception of reality f ] /f % (ft iA iH o visual perception —see also extrasensory perception 2 [U] (formal) the ability to

1473

understand the true nature of sth M^tl; f!H4 Pm insight: She showed great perception in her assessment of the family situation.

(ftP^Ao 3 [U, C] ~ (that ...) (formal) an idea, a belief or an image you have as a result of how you see or understand sth #   ; JE : a campaign to change

public perception of the police      O

There is a general public perception that standards in schools are falling.        AA, «(ftAAfP£TI#o

per cep tive /pa'septiv; NAmE par's-/ adj. 1 (approving) having or showing the ability to see or understand things quickly, especially things that are not obvious Eg l?A3S#J; fTPI?A#J; feMWtWtf): a highly percep­tive comment JE life (ft if ifc O Jt was very perceptive of you to notice that. %t£ ft M 3i Jit if, M ¥ Wl «,

3                  connected with seeing, hearing and understanding |fe£ft; ttlft; iSfffilft; $PiE(ft: our innate perceptive abilities He Cl A X to £ t & A ► per-cep-tive-ly adv. per-cep-tive-ness noun [U]

per-cep-tron /pa'septrnn; NAmE par'septrain/ noun (computing if) an artificial network which is intended to copy the brain’s ability to recognize things and see the differences between things

)

per cep tual /pa'septjual; NAmE par's-/ adj. [only before noun] (technical Ain) relating to the ability to perceive things or the process of perceiving ffl jfc (ft; i&fl] (ft: perceptual skills

perch /p3:tj; NAmE p3:rtJV verb, noun

m verb 1 [V] ~ (on sth) (of a bird J®,) to land and stay on a branch, etc.   ^ g ; a robin was perching on the

fence. —  Mt£±0 2 ~ (sb/yourself) (on sth)

(informal) to sit or to make sb sit on sth, especially on the edge of it ( fli ) *£, [V] We perched on

a couple of high stools at the bar.

U % ± o o [VN] She perched herself on the edge of the bed. o note at sit 3 [V] ~ (on sth) to be

placed on the top or the edge of sth S A ( M ± j£ ft ) : The hotel perched precariously on a steep hillside.

■ noun 1 a place where a bird rests, especially a branch or bar for this purpose, for example in a bird’s cage (      |A2a high seat or position i^J^;

iti ft: He watched the game from his precarious perch on top of the wall.

4                  (pi. perch) a freshwater fish that is sometimes used for food bp ft; Mi6 iTHTTi see knock v.

per-chance /pa'tjarns; NAmE par'tfaens/ adv. (old use) perhaps-feif; oltg

perched /p3:tjt; NAmE p3:rtjt/ adj. ~ on, etc. sth 1 (especially of a bird X fa ^) sitting or resting on sth H: There was a bird perched on the roof, ft— K^I/EllJ:, 2 placed in a high and/or dangerous position MSA) : a hotel perched high on the cliffs

percipient /pa'sipiant; NAmE par's-/ adj. (formal) having or showing the ability to understand things, especially things that are not obvious

W;    cm PERCEPTIVE

perco late /'p3:kaleit; NAmE 'p3:rk-/ verb 1 [V] (of a liquid, gas, etc. #£ ff , ft $. %*) to move gradually through a surface that has very small holes or spaces in it # A ; # iS ; # M : Water had percolated down through the rocks. AM.^&l0]#iBT 2 [V] to grad­ually become known or spread through a group or society  : It had percolated through to us

that something interesting was about to happen. HcfHPJf SHtlr ft,     3 [VN, V] to make

coffee in a percolator; to be made in this way ( ft #yj| ®    ► per-co-la-tion /.paika'ieijn;

NAmE ,p3:rk-/ noun [U]

per co la tor /'p3:kaleit0(r); NAmE 'p3:rk-/ noun a pot for making coffee, in which boiling water is forced up a central tube and then comes down again through the coffee