Good afternoon.
I know all languages have exceptions.
But I can't find any cases where "percentage-wise" which is adverb is used as an adjective.
Since I have encountered the the phrase " identify ……….. by one of percentage-wise and optimal gross margin", I am so confused.
How should I interpret the sentence? I think that the sentence means ".. by one of percentage-wise margin and optimal gross margin." but then, "percentage-wise" should be adjective. :< Please help me. Thanks in advance.
Best Answer
You've asked two questions.
(1) Can "percentage-wise" be used as an adjective.
Yes. "The percentage-wise method of calculating the metric has many advantages."
(2) What's the interpretation of "by one of percentage-wise and optimal gross margin" which is taken from Patent US 7979299 B1.
Part of the issue is that quote has been taken out of it's context. Also, it's missing some of the original punctuation. Here's the original context, as taken from Patent US7979299:
Note that among legal documents, patents are notoriously difficult to interpret. In fact, interpretations of the meanings of patents are often decided in court within the context of an infringement of patent lawsuit!
When the phrase "by one of" is followed by a comma, colon, or "the following", it might suggest a listing of separate items. But other times, not. Let's consider another sentence which may be a bit easier to comprehend:
Now does this mean "spicy, hot recipes" or "spicy recipes and hot recipes"? Since we have a list, it must be the latter. But additional sentence complexity can make it more ambiguous. Practically speaking, the answer could very well depend on what is decided in a court of law.