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Entrepreneurs are becoming more daring, and the number of entrepreneurs in the US is increasing every year.

How not to repeat the word "entrepreneurs" here without changing the first clause of the sentence? I've come up with the following new version but I'm not sure if entrepreneurs have their number.

Entrepreneurs are becoming more daring, and their number in the US is increasing every year.

If the sentence above doesn't work, feel free to suggest any other phrase. Thank you!

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  • Correct use of the pronoun.
    – Yosef Baskin
    Commented Apr 19 at 3:52
  • But in another question of mine, when I asked if I should use "their ratio", a native speaker suggested that I should simply use "the ratio" instead, and that "their ratio" is not the best. Why is that so? I find "their" much more clear than "the". I know it's "number", not "ratio" here, but I think whether it is ratio or number doesn't really matter. Here's the link to that post.
    – An IELTS Learner
    Commented Apr 19 at 4:02
  • That answer I don't get, but there is this fine point: Is it their number, really? You found that the amount increased, but is that number their number? Do they own that calculation? Their businesses, and their ideas and staff, but they don't have their number like it belongs to them. A fine point.
    – Yosef Baskin
    Commented Apr 19 at 4:25
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    "...and are more numerous every year in the US."
    – Kate Bunting
    Commented Apr 19 at 7:56
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    Just because "their numbers are rising every year" refers to multiple years even though you say every year: Year 1, year 2, year, 3 year versus: their number increased in 2023. That's only one year.
    – Lambie
    Commented May 19 at 20:18

2 Answers 2

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But in another question of mine, when I asked if I should use "their ratio", a native speaker suggested that I should simply use "the ratio" instead, and that "their ratio" is not the best. Why is that so?

It is also clear that the contingent migrant workforce in the US was highest in number, but their ratio was lowest in 2006.

"Their number" is idiomatic. It means the members of a group, and not an actual number like 20. "They killed one of our number" doesn't mean they killed part of the number 30, it means they killed a member of our group.

That means your sentence is correct, but "their number" doesn't mean the same as "the number of entrepreneurs". It means the same as "the group of entrepreneurs".

In contrast, "their ratio" is not idiomatic in that way. You could (in some cases) say "Their ratio of the total population", but usually you'd say "the percentage of the population who were..."

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  • "The group of entrepreneurs is increasing every year" is correct? A number can increase but can "a group" increase? I thought it should be "The group of entrepreneurs is increasing every year in number".
    – An IELTS Learner
    Commented Apr 20 at 4:37
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To make it sound better, I would simply switch the two parts of your phrase.

Change this:

Entrepreneurs are becoming more daring, and the number of entrepreneurs in the US is increasing every year.

to this:

The number of entrepreneurs in the US is increasing every year, and they are becoming more daring.

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