account for
account for — phrasal verb
- account forbase form
- accounts for3rd person singular
- accounting for-ing form
- accounted forpast simple
1. of two or more things or groups — to add up to a particular amount when combined
of two or more things or groups — to add up to a particular amount when combined, forming the total or whole of something.
The Asian and European divisions together account for over 70% of total sales.
plural subject (two divisions) + together + account for + percentage
Rent, utilities, and groceries account for about three-quarters of Leo's monthly spending.
listing of items that collectively form a total
Women and men each account for roughly half of the participants in the study.
Three crops — rice, wheat, and corn — account for almost all farmland in the region.
- constitute
more formal; often used in legal or official writing
- comprise
emphasises that the listed parts together form the whole
- make up
more informal; common in everyday speech
文法句型
account for + noun phrase
用法筆記
Common in reports, statistics, and business contexts. The subject is usually a list of items, groups, or categories that together make up a total.
常見錯誤
2. of a single thing or group — to represent a specific amount, percentage, or shar
of a single thing or group — to represent a specific amount, percentage, or share within a larger total.
The Tokyo office accounts for roughly a third of the company's annual profits.
single subject (one office) + accounts for + fraction of + broader total
Vinícius noted that imported coffee accounts for nearly 60% of the café's total sales.
Older adults aged sixty-five and above account for about 18% of the country's population.
Folake noted that online orders now account for over half of the store's book sales.
- represent
less specific than 'account for'; can also mean 'stand for' in other contexts
- constitute
more formal; used when defining the parts of a whole
文法句型
account for + number / percentage + of + noun phrase
用法筆記
The subject is a single category or item expressing what share it has within a larger group. Often followed by a percentage or fraction.