Talk:Mongol incursions in the Holy Roman Empire

Latest comment: 6 months ago by Neils51 in topic "Estimated at about"

"Estimated at about"

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@Neils51: The word "about" clarifies the nature of the estimate. The cited source says "estimated that before the battle at Legnica there were about 8 000 fighting men". Yes, "estimated at 8,000 strong" is technically correct, but to my mind it suggests the greater exactitude of the study of modern warfare. So what is "the problem" with it? Srnec (talk) 19:59, 12 April 2024 (UTC)Reply

Hi Srnec, the problem with it is that it is not accordant with WP:TERSE. Words such as about, around, approximately, roughly, are superfluous when ‘estimate’ is used. An 'estimate' implies that the actual quantity may be higher or lower than that given. The addition of ‘about’ adds nothing to the sentence meaning or comprehension and doesn’t change the logical concept. You will find on this page that constructs using 'estimated at' are addressed in one of the rulesets (search for ‘estimated’) configured for AutoWikiBrowser. Note that poor source grammar doesn’t have to be replicated in Wikipedia (unless quoted). Neils51 (talk) 11:26, 13 April 2024 (UTC)Reply