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I'm three times as more profitable as my salary

vs.

I'm as three times more profitable as my salary

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    Which do you think is better, and why?
    – CowperKettle
    Jan 21, 2017 at 19:52
  • Are you trying to express that you are worth three times as much as you are being paid? Both examples you've given sound a little odd. If you clarify what you're trying to express, it might be easier to help
    – Joe Pinsonault
    Jan 21, 2017 at 20:06
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    I would say "The profit I generate for my company is more than three times my salary" and "The profit I generate for my company is exactly three times my salary". (I'm not sure whether we can say I am profitable so I changed the wording)
    – CowperKettle
    Jan 21, 2017 at 20:06
  • A rule of thumb at U.S. defense contractors is that a good engineer needs to provide incremental value to the company equal to three times the engineer's salary. This is partly because the company must pay for various non-salary benefits, partly because the company must pay for the engineer's office and support services, partly because the company needs to make a profit on its investment, and partly because the engineer's value added occurs in the margin between gross revenues and the operating expenses needed to make things.
    – Jasper
    Jan 21, 2017 at 22:55
  • A rule of thumb in macro-economics is that (in the economy overall) wages, salaries, employee benefits, and payroll taxes typically add up to 60% to 70% of gross product. The remainder goes towards capital depreciation, returns on capital, and taxes.
    – Jasper
    Jan 21, 2017 at 22:57

3 Answers 3

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I agree with the comments of @Joe Pinsonault and @CowperKettle.

First, I might phrase the sentence more along the lines of:

I am worth three times as much as I am being paid.

or

My annual profit for the company is three times higher than my salary.

Second, "As" and "More" are never used together in the same phrase in comparative constructions.

You could say,

I'm three times more beautiful than she is.

or

I'm three times as beautiful as she is.

But you cannot say

I'm three times as more beautiful as she is.

And you cannot say

I'm as three times more beautiful as she is.

So the general rule is

either use

AS-AS

subject + verb + (optional modifier) + AS + adjective + AS + comparison-noun

example: His house is three times AS big AS mine.

example: Engineering can be AS confusing AS philosophy.

or use

MORE-THAN

subject + verb + (optional modifier) + MORE + adjective + THAN + comparison-noun

example: Mary was MORE excited THAN me to receive an invitation.

example: Swimming is MORE relaxing THAN boxing.

but never use AS-MORE together

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3

In addition to what Peter said, I don't think that the general construction of the sentences is correct

For example, with

I'm three times as more profitable as my salary

Generally this kind of comparison (more than, less than) is of the form

I'm three times more profitable than my salary

or

I'm three times as profitable as my salary

In your sentences you've mixed the two constructions together

This might help if you want more details about how to construct comparisons

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0

The comparison between your profitability and your salary would be

I'm three times as profitable as my salary.

"more" is redundant since three times is already "more".

I'm as three times more profitable as my salary.

would be comparing yourself to your profitability, when you really want to compare your salary.

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5
  • I would just add that we don't usually use the word "profitable" to refer to people. A business can be profitable, or an investment can be profitable, or a situation can be profitable. We usually talk about people as being "worth" something though. As in "I'm worth more than my boss but they get paid more than me"
    – Joe Pinsonault
    Jan 21, 2017 at 20:08
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    It's a normal form of shorthand if an individual or group is closely identified with an activity or Profit & Loss account, especially in sales functions, a usual question might be "Is he profitable?" when what is meant is "Are his sales activities profitable?". One could ask about a company "Are they profitable?" which would not refer to the individuals in the company pre se but the aggregate activities of the company.
    – Peter
    Jan 21, 2017 at 20:16
  • Thank you, I didn't know about that sales lingo!
    – Joe Pinsonault
    Jan 21, 2017 at 20:18
  • How can a salary be profitable? Can it make money?
    – user3395
    Jan 21, 2017 at 20:28
  • He's not saying his salary is profitable, he's saying the profit he makes is more than his salary. He could have said "I'm three time more profitable than my salary" meaning I bring in three times more money than I cost (not including overhead) the company.
    – Peter
    Jan 21, 2017 at 20:53

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