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I wonder how do native speakers interpret the following sentences. Are they ambiguous? Is Y decreasing or increasing in the following examples (1-4)?

  1. The strength of X increases with Y.
  2. The strength of X decreases with Y.
  3. The strength of X increases together with Y.
  4. The strength of X decreases together with Y.

I think it is possible to make these sentences unambiguous by specifying whether Y is increasing or decreasing explicitly after “with”. Is that so?

(Does adding "together" (or jointly) like in sentences (3-4) change interpretation?)

Thanks!

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  • 1
    Lose the together. It adds nothing and is potentially confusing.
    – John Lawler
    Dec 6, 2020 at 19:40
  • The “with” is causing your concerns. The strength of X increases as Y increases.
    – jimm101
    Dec 6, 2020 at 20:38
  • I think you should avoid the terminology unless it's a part of the jargon associated with the specific technology being discussed.
    – Hot Licks
    Dec 7, 2020 at 19:17
  • Try one of: The strength of X is proportional to Y. The strength of X is inversely proportional to Y. Depending on the nature of their relationship.
    – Jim
    Dec 7, 2020 at 20:25
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    This is mathematics, and 'X increases with Y' is standard language. Of course if X increases with Y, then X increases in some proportion as Y increases. They would thus decrease together. For an inverse relationship (like X divided by Y), X decreases as Y increases.
    – Yosef Baskin
    Dec 7, 2020 at 20:35

2 Answers 2

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Here's how I'd interpret:

1. The strength of X increases with Y.

alternate way of saying: The strength of X increases with Y increasing.

2. The strength of X decreases with Y.

This one to me is a bit vague. The way I read it is: The strength of X decreases with Y increasing. In other words they're inversely proportional. But it could also mean the opposite and needs to be fixed so it's not vague.

3. The strength of X increases together with Y.

alternate way of saying: The strength of X increases together with Y increasing. In other words, they both go up together as either one increases.

4. The strength of X decreases together with Y.

alternate way of saying: The strength of X decreases together with Y decreasing. In other words, they both decrease together as either decreases. For me at least, the 'together' makes this one different from number 2. above.

For me, 2. and 4. are vague and could benefit from more specific language. I'm pretty confident most all readers would understand the meaning of 1. and 3.

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  • The problem is that none of the sentences are clear as there is absolutely no context. We do not know if X and Y are both variables, independents, or one is a dependant of the other.
    – user81561
    Dec 7, 2020 at 20:12
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No, the sentences all read fairly easily, and they mean the same thing. They mean

The strength of X is directly proportional to Y.

This means the strength of X increases when Y increases, decreasing when Y does the same. The opposite would be The strength of X is inversely proportional to Y.

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  • Direct proportionality is a much stricter condition than "increases with"
    – Antonio Ragagnin
    Mar 22, 2021 at 9:25

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