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Can we say 'The ecological pressures have reduced. "?

English Language Learners Asked by user249911 on December 21, 2021

I came upon this sentence in a translation:

“The ecological pressures resulting from traditional livestock rearing practices will reduce while continuing to meet people’s nutritional needs.”

However, I felt that ‘reduce’ is a vt and this sentence should be written as ‘the pressures will be reduced’ instead.

Also in the dictionary , reduce is defined as
1 make smaller or less in amount, degree, or size.
2 bring someone or something to (a worse or less desirable state or condition).

So it doesn’t make much sense to me to say the pressures ‘make itself smaller’ or ‘bring itself to a smaller amount’.

Can anyone help me with this? Thanks a lot.

4 Answers

"The ecological pressures resulting from traditional livestock rearing practices will reduce while continuing to meet people's nutritional needs." [BUZZER]

EDIT

Ecological pressures from traditional livestock-rearing practices will diminish while human nutritional needs will continue to be met."

No comment. The sentence was full of mistakes

Answered by Lambie on December 21, 2021

"reduced while continuing" is the key problem here. It is as if saying they're becoming less, and at the same time saying they are the same.

Simplify the statement by simplifying the sentence. Start with the subject.

Traditional livestock rearing practices reduce the ecological impact while continuing to meet people's nutritional needs.

This sentence works, but it might not be the sentence you want. Good luck

Answered by Edwin Buck on December 21, 2021

The verb reduce may be used both transitively and intransitively. A question on our sister site addresses this point. This dictionary also states that reduce may be used intransitively.

I would unhesitatingly say (were it true):

My weight reduced over the last few months

One of many examples I find in academic publications:

Systolic pressure was significantly (p<0.001) reduced in yoga but the reduction was not significant in control group.

Answered by djna on December 21, 2021

I'm with the OP. That wording there is a bit ungrammatical. Some native speakers might indeed use reduce in that way, as djna does, but it's a colloquial usage that I wouldn't want to put in writing.

Answered by Lyle Seaman on December 21, 2021

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