>No, I am referring ONLY to mathematics. While - can be read as negative or minus (and both are acceptable), it really is negative because negative is an adjective describing the number's relation to zero and minus is a verb describing subtraction.

Na - na - na - Nah! "minus" is a preposition, describing an operation that has been preformed on a quantity, like "without", NOT a verb; the verb from subtraction is "subtract", e.g. "Johnny, subtract 3 from 7", or "Johnny, what's 7 minus 3?". "Minus" can also be an adjective, like "minus ten degrees". I've never heard an American say "It's negative 25 degrees out there!"

OTOH, "negative" is only an adjective in this context.

>
>
>>Maybe over there, but apparently in Europe we don't need the distinction. The only time we hear "negative" is re: comments, films, attitude, etc. or "negative numbers", and a negative number is said "minus two".
>>
>>I think "Negative" may have become popular in the early 90s when all hands were getting into CB radio (or is that a big "negatory" on that? - c'm'on?
>>
>>>More commonly it is 'negative two.' I have never heard: three minus minus two (although that would be correct as well), but I have heard three plus two substituted (since that is what the effect is). In math, it is typically stated as three minus negative two.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>>-2 is: "minus two"
>>>>3 - -2 is: three minus minus two (or three plus two)
>>>>
>>>>>10-2 is: ten minus 2
>>>>>-2 is: negative two
>>>>>3 - -2 is: three minus negative two
>>>>>
>>>>>I'm not sure where you got your other terms?
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>Dragan
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>Just heard that "Nasdaq fell two tenths of one percent"... just like it usually does, but they never ever say of which percent are those tenths. Isn't there a promille in English? Obviously not, because spell checker readily underlines it in red. The word means "per thousand" (just like "percent" means "per hundred").
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>Yes there is in an equivalent in English, per mill http://m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?va=per%20mill
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>Now wouldn't it be nice if kids learned this word at school? I wouldn't lose sleep wondering which poor percent lost two of its tenths.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>I have never heard that word in my life. But what's the problem really? "Two tenths of one percent" seems clear enough to me. "Two tenths of a percent" might make the pedantic a bit happier. A bit.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>The "one percent" sounds ridiculous to me. Like "it fell 2/10 of one percent, but not of the others", or "it fell 2/10 of one percent but we won't tell you which one".
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Just like the rule that -2 is to be pronounced "two negative". "Minus two" is what I'm used to.