Can things “grow smaller”?





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This is the headline of an online article:




Tasty Fish Grow Smaller in Warming Ocean.




And this is from Google search:




Why Belgian coins grow smaller.




Growing is all about increasing in size and getting bigger while smaller is just the opposite, however, English seems to permit the two words to come together.
How is this possible?










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  • 4




    Certain comedians, such as George Carlin loved to joke about these kind of inconsistencies in the English language. Believe me, we know very well this doesn't make sense :)
    – Andrew
    2 days ago






  • 4




    @Andrew It does make sense, though. Just not when you choose to interpret it literally, which people don't typically do.
    – only_pro
    2 days ago






  • 1




    @only_pro sure, but only if you consider all (and sometimes contradictory) meanings. It doesn't mean they don't also sound superficially silly.
    – Andrew
    2 days ago








  • 3




    Good grief, OP's source is clearly confused. Military intelligence reveals that only jumbo shrimp grow smaller during times of civil war in aquatic landscapes (but still taste awfully good)
    – A C
    yesterday






  • 2




    "Grow smaller" can also mean that it grows to a smaller size than previous fish did. It "Grow[s] [to a] smaller [size]".
    – Parrotmaster
    15 hours ago

















up vote
12
down vote

favorite
2












This is the headline of an online article:




Tasty Fish Grow Smaller in Warming Ocean.




And this is from Google search:




Why Belgian coins grow smaller.




Growing is all about increasing in size and getting bigger while smaller is just the opposite, however, English seems to permit the two words to come together.
How is this possible?










share|improve this question




















  • 4




    Certain comedians, such as George Carlin loved to joke about these kind of inconsistencies in the English language. Believe me, we know very well this doesn't make sense :)
    – Andrew
    2 days ago






  • 4




    @Andrew It does make sense, though. Just not when you choose to interpret it literally, which people don't typically do.
    – only_pro
    2 days ago






  • 1




    @only_pro sure, but only if you consider all (and sometimes contradictory) meanings. It doesn't mean they don't also sound superficially silly.
    – Andrew
    2 days ago








  • 3




    Good grief, OP's source is clearly confused. Military intelligence reveals that only jumbo shrimp grow smaller during times of civil war in aquatic landscapes (but still taste awfully good)
    – A C
    yesterday






  • 2




    "Grow smaller" can also mean that it grows to a smaller size than previous fish did. It "Grow[s] [to a] smaller [size]".
    – Parrotmaster
    15 hours ago













up vote
12
down vote

favorite
2









up vote
12
down vote

favorite
2






2





This is the headline of an online article:




Tasty Fish Grow Smaller in Warming Ocean.




And this is from Google search:




Why Belgian coins grow smaller.




Growing is all about increasing in size and getting bigger while smaller is just the opposite, however, English seems to permit the two words to come together.
How is this possible?










share|improve this question















This is the headline of an online article:




Tasty Fish Grow Smaller in Warming Ocean.




And this is from Google search:




Why Belgian coins grow smaller.




Growing is all about increasing in size and getting bigger while smaller is just the opposite, however, English seems to permit the two words to come together.
How is this possible?







grammaticality logic






share|improve this question















share|improve this question













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share|improve this question








edited 15 hours ago

























asked 2 days ago









Sara

1,76521137




1,76521137








  • 4




    Certain comedians, such as George Carlin loved to joke about these kind of inconsistencies in the English language. Believe me, we know very well this doesn't make sense :)
    – Andrew
    2 days ago






  • 4




    @Andrew It does make sense, though. Just not when you choose to interpret it literally, which people don't typically do.
    – only_pro
    2 days ago






  • 1




    @only_pro sure, but only if you consider all (and sometimes contradictory) meanings. It doesn't mean they don't also sound superficially silly.
    – Andrew
    2 days ago








  • 3




    Good grief, OP's source is clearly confused. Military intelligence reveals that only jumbo shrimp grow smaller during times of civil war in aquatic landscapes (but still taste awfully good)
    – A C
    yesterday






  • 2




    "Grow smaller" can also mean that it grows to a smaller size than previous fish did. It "Grow[s] [to a] smaller [size]".
    – Parrotmaster
    15 hours ago














  • 4




    Certain comedians, such as George Carlin loved to joke about these kind of inconsistencies in the English language. Believe me, we know very well this doesn't make sense :)
    – Andrew
    2 days ago






  • 4




    @Andrew It does make sense, though. Just not when you choose to interpret it literally, which people don't typically do.
    – only_pro
    2 days ago






  • 1




    @only_pro sure, but only if you consider all (and sometimes contradictory) meanings. It doesn't mean they don't also sound superficially silly.
    – Andrew
    2 days ago








  • 3




    Good grief, OP's source is clearly confused. Military intelligence reveals that only jumbo shrimp grow smaller during times of civil war in aquatic landscapes (but still taste awfully good)
    – A C
    yesterday






  • 2




    "Grow smaller" can also mean that it grows to a smaller size than previous fish did. It "Grow[s] [to a] smaller [size]".
    – Parrotmaster
    15 hours ago








4




4




Certain comedians, such as George Carlin loved to joke about these kind of inconsistencies in the English language. Believe me, we know very well this doesn't make sense :)
– Andrew
2 days ago




Certain comedians, such as George Carlin loved to joke about these kind of inconsistencies in the English language. Believe me, we know very well this doesn't make sense :)
– Andrew
2 days ago




4




4




@Andrew It does make sense, though. Just not when you choose to interpret it literally, which people don't typically do.
– only_pro
2 days ago




@Andrew It does make sense, though. Just not when you choose to interpret it literally, which people don't typically do.
– only_pro
2 days ago




1




1




@only_pro sure, but only if you consider all (and sometimes contradictory) meanings. It doesn't mean they don't also sound superficially silly.
– Andrew
2 days ago






@only_pro sure, but only if you consider all (and sometimes contradictory) meanings. It doesn't mean they don't also sound superficially silly.
– Andrew
2 days ago






3




3




Good grief, OP's source is clearly confused. Military intelligence reveals that only jumbo shrimp grow smaller during times of civil war in aquatic landscapes (but still taste awfully good)
– A C
yesterday




Good grief, OP's source is clearly confused. Military intelligence reveals that only jumbo shrimp grow smaller during times of civil war in aquatic landscapes (but still taste awfully good)
– A C
yesterday




2




2




"Grow smaller" can also mean that it grows to a smaller size than previous fish did. It "Grow[s] [to a] smaller [size]".
– Parrotmaster
15 hours ago




"Grow smaller" can also mean that it grows to a smaller size than previous fish did. It "Grow[s] [to a] smaller [size]".
– Parrotmaster
15 hours ago










6 Answers
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30
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Grow and smaller aren't linked the way you are interpreting it. The sentence is saying that fish that used to reach a certain size in adulthood aren't growing that big in a warmer ocean, they are smaller than their predecessors.






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  • 5




    This sentence aside, google shows many other sentences with grow smaller meaning become smaller or get smaller. For example, "Why Belgian coins grow smaller."
    – Sara
    2 days ago








  • 3




    This was my assumption too. As it is a headline, to reduce the length, it may be missing implied words. "...fish grow to a smaller size in..." would be more correct in this case.
    – Baldrickk
    yesterday






  • 2




    I agree that's what it means, but they could definitely have expressed it better, e.g. "Don't grow as large".
    – Hellion
    yesterday


















up vote
30
down vote













Oxford lists three primary meanings for the word grow. The first two reflect what we often immediately think of when we think about growing:




grow (v.) to undergo natural development by increasing in size and changing physically



grow (v.) to become larger or greater over a period of time; to increase




It’s the third meaning, though, that provides the key to your apparent oxymoron:




grow (v.) to become, gradually or increasingly :
sharing our experiences we grew braver




So, if the number of fish are gradually becoming diminished, then a headline might say:




Tasty Fish Grow Smaller in Warming Ocean




More likely, though, is probably referring to the size of the fish, if the gradually-warming ocean is causing the fish to become smaller over time (or, perhaps more accurately, "causing the average size of adult fish to become smaller over time").






share|improve this answer



















  • 1




    I think you should be clearer that these are three meanings you think are relevant to the question, not that they are the only three meanings.
    – Acccumulation
    2 days ago






  • 14




    If it’s the number of fish that’s decreasing, you would never use ‘smaller’ at all. You might say the fish are growing fewer, or that the number of fish is growing smaller, but not that the fish are growing smaller – that refers unambiguously to their size.
    – Janus Bahs Jacquet
    2 days ago






  • 1




    @Janus - You're right; I was assuming that a headline writer might have left off the "Number of" to keep the headline short. I've reworded my answer to make it a bit less misleading. Nice catch.
    – J.R.
    2 days ago






  • 1




    "causing the fish to become smaller over time" - You might better say, "causing the average size of adult fish to become smaller over time"
    – WhatRoughBeast
    yesterday






  • 3




    @WhatRoughBeast Agreed. To me, "become smaller" makes it sound more like the individual fish are shrinking in size, which I doubt is what the author meant (though the original headline could also be interpreted that way).
    – p.s.w.g
    yesterday


















up vote
10
down vote













As well as the common usage of grow to increase in size it can also be used to indicate a gradual or progressive change of state for example




As night fell it began to grow colder.




Having said that using the phrase 'grow' smaller is probably best avoided as it is a bit ambiguous as it is not clear whether it means they actually shrink or they just grow more slowly, reach a smaller maximum size or indicating a trend in in the population as a whole over time.



Although this is often the case with headlines and often the ambiguity is deliberate in order to make a story sound more interesting or sensational than it really is.






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    up vote
    1
    down vote













    I don’t see any conflict in it.



    Yes, “to grow” means get bigger and they are! but consider that they grow less than expected.




    Tasty Fish Grow Smaller [than it is expected] in Warming Ocean.







    share|improve this answer




























      up vote
      1
      down vote













      I think you can use 'grow', since there is an increase of 'smallness' compared to a previous state. A different argument is: 'grow smaller' does not mean a big fish turns small. It just means that fish now have a slower growth rate, or that they stop growing earlier at all. Nevertheless you have the act of 'growing' from tadpole to fish. This is what 'grow' refers to, it is not a general phenomena that happens to all fish.



      So, long and thanks for all the fish :)






      share|improve this answer








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      dial033 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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        up vote
        -2
        down vote













        What you are referring to is the basic form of speech that we use informally but is not correct ."Things can shrink smaller" is the correct usage .Also sometimes "grow smaller" can be used as an oxymoron in a poem .






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        New contributor




        SLADE is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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        • 2




          Hmmm... Journalists don't seem to have any problem using the phase grow smaller in newspaper articles. Moreover, in books, the phrase shrink smaller is dwarfed by the expression grow smaller, and I doubt that's all oxymoronic poetry.
          – J.R.
          yesterday










        • I think that its used to spice the sentences up ....
          – SLADE
          yesterday






        • 3




          As mobile computing devices grow smaller and as in-car computing platforms become more common, we must augment traditional methods of human-computer interaction (from the abstract of "Pervasive Speech Recognition"). The gist of Moore's law is that as time passes, circuits will grow smaller in size, but bigger in functions due to the more efficient packing method to accommodate more components that are tinier (from "Assessment of High Temperature, Lead Free Paste Alternatives for Semiconductor Packaging"). Sorry, but I don't think those authors are being cute or "spicing things up".
          – J.R.
          yesterday










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        6 Answers
        6






        active

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        6 Answers
        6






        active

        oldest

        votes









        active

        oldest

        votes






        active

        oldest

        votes








        up vote
        30
        down vote













        Grow and smaller aren't linked the way you are interpreting it. The sentence is saying that fish that used to reach a certain size in adulthood aren't growing that big in a warmer ocean, they are smaller than their predecessors.






        share|improve this answer

















        • 5




          This sentence aside, google shows many other sentences with grow smaller meaning become smaller or get smaller. For example, "Why Belgian coins grow smaller."
          – Sara
          2 days ago








        • 3




          This was my assumption too. As it is a headline, to reduce the length, it may be missing implied words. "...fish grow to a smaller size in..." would be more correct in this case.
          – Baldrickk
          yesterday






        • 2




          I agree that's what it means, but they could definitely have expressed it better, e.g. "Don't grow as large".
          – Hellion
          yesterday















        up vote
        30
        down vote













        Grow and smaller aren't linked the way you are interpreting it. The sentence is saying that fish that used to reach a certain size in adulthood aren't growing that big in a warmer ocean, they are smaller than their predecessors.






        share|improve this answer

















        • 5




          This sentence aside, google shows many other sentences with grow smaller meaning become smaller or get smaller. For example, "Why Belgian coins grow smaller."
          – Sara
          2 days ago








        • 3




          This was my assumption too. As it is a headline, to reduce the length, it may be missing implied words. "...fish grow to a smaller size in..." would be more correct in this case.
          – Baldrickk
          yesterday






        • 2




          I agree that's what it means, but they could definitely have expressed it better, e.g. "Don't grow as large".
          – Hellion
          yesterday













        up vote
        30
        down vote










        up vote
        30
        down vote









        Grow and smaller aren't linked the way you are interpreting it. The sentence is saying that fish that used to reach a certain size in adulthood aren't growing that big in a warmer ocean, they are smaller than their predecessors.






        share|improve this answer












        Grow and smaller aren't linked the way you are interpreting it. The sentence is saying that fish that used to reach a certain size in adulthood aren't growing that big in a warmer ocean, they are smaller than their predecessors.







        share|improve this answer












        share|improve this answer



        share|improve this answer










        answered 2 days ago









        pboss3010

        55414




        55414








        • 5




          This sentence aside, google shows many other sentences with grow smaller meaning become smaller or get smaller. For example, "Why Belgian coins grow smaller."
          – Sara
          2 days ago








        • 3




          This was my assumption too. As it is a headline, to reduce the length, it may be missing implied words. "...fish grow to a smaller size in..." would be more correct in this case.
          – Baldrickk
          yesterday






        • 2




          I agree that's what it means, but they could definitely have expressed it better, e.g. "Don't grow as large".
          – Hellion
          yesterday














        • 5




          This sentence aside, google shows many other sentences with grow smaller meaning become smaller or get smaller. For example, "Why Belgian coins grow smaller."
          – Sara
          2 days ago








        • 3




          This was my assumption too. As it is a headline, to reduce the length, it may be missing implied words. "...fish grow to a smaller size in..." would be more correct in this case.
          – Baldrickk
          yesterday






        • 2




          I agree that's what it means, but they could definitely have expressed it better, e.g. "Don't grow as large".
          – Hellion
          yesterday








        5




        5




        This sentence aside, google shows many other sentences with grow smaller meaning become smaller or get smaller. For example, "Why Belgian coins grow smaller."
        – Sara
        2 days ago






        This sentence aside, google shows many other sentences with grow smaller meaning become smaller or get smaller. For example, "Why Belgian coins grow smaller."
        – Sara
        2 days ago






        3




        3




        This was my assumption too. As it is a headline, to reduce the length, it may be missing implied words. "...fish grow to a smaller size in..." would be more correct in this case.
        – Baldrickk
        yesterday




        This was my assumption too. As it is a headline, to reduce the length, it may be missing implied words. "...fish grow to a smaller size in..." would be more correct in this case.
        – Baldrickk
        yesterday




        2




        2




        I agree that's what it means, but they could definitely have expressed it better, e.g. "Don't grow as large".
        – Hellion
        yesterday




        I agree that's what it means, but they could definitely have expressed it better, e.g. "Don't grow as large".
        – Hellion
        yesterday












        up vote
        30
        down vote













        Oxford lists three primary meanings for the word grow. The first two reflect what we often immediately think of when we think about growing:




        grow (v.) to undergo natural development by increasing in size and changing physically



        grow (v.) to become larger or greater over a period of time; to increase




        It’s the third meaning, though, that provides the key to your apparent oxymoron:




        grow (v.) to become, gradually or increasingly :
        sharing our experiences we grew braver




        So, if the number of fish are gradually becoming diminished, then a headline might say:




        Tasty Fish Grow Smaller in Warming Ocean




        More likely, though, is probably referring to the size of the fish, if the gradually-warming ocean is causing the fish to become smaller over time (or, perhaps more accurately, "causing the average size of adult fish to become smaller over time").






        share|improve this answer



















        • 1




          I think you should be clearer that these are three meanings you think are relevant to the question, not that they are the only three meanings.
          – Acccumulation
          2 days ago






        • 14




          If it’s the number of fish that’s decreasing, you would never use ‘smaller’ at all. You might say the fish are growing fewer, or that the number of fish is growing smaller, but not that the fish are growing smaller – that refers unambiguously to their size.
          – Janus Bahs Jacquet
          2 days ago






        • 1




          @Janus - You're right; I was assuming that a headline writer might have left off the "Number of" to keep the headline short. I've reworded my answer to make it a bit less misleading. Nice catch.
          – J.R.
          2 days ago






        • 1




          "causing the fish to become smaller over time" - You might better say, "causing the average size of adult fish to become smaller over time"
          – WhatRoughBeast
          yesterday






        • 3




          @WhatRoughBeast Agreed. To me, "become smaller" makes it sound more like the individual fish are shrinking in size, which I doubt is what the author meant (though the original headline could also be interpreted that way).
          – p.s.w.g
          yesterday















        up vote
        30
        down vote













        Oxford lists three primary meanings for the word grow. The first two reflect what we often immediately think of when we think about growing:




        grow (v.) to undergo natural development by increasing in size and changing physically



        grow (v.) to become larger or greater over a period of time; to increase




        It’s the third meaning, though, that provides the key to your apparent oxymoron:




        grow (v.) to become, gradually or increasingly :
        sharing our experiences we grew braver




        So, if the number of fish are gradually becoming diminished, then a headline might say:




        Tasty Fish Grow Smaller in Warming Ocean




        More likely, though, is probably referring to the size of the fish, if the gradually-warming ocean is causing the fish to become smaller over time (or, perhaps more accurately, "causing the average size of adult fish to become smaller over time").






        share|improve this answer



















        • 1




          I think you should be clearer that these are three meanings you think are relevant to the question, not that they are the only three meanings.
          – Acccumulation
          2 days ago






        • 14




          If it’s the number of fish that’s decreasing, you would never use ‘smaller’ at all. You might say the fish are growing fewer, or that the number of fish is growing smaller, but not that the fish are growing smaller – that refers unambiguously to their size.
          – Janus Bahs Jacquet
          2 days ago






        • 1




          @Janus - You're right; I was assuming that a headline writer might have left off the "Number of" to keep the headline short. I've reworded my answer to make it a bit less misleading. Nice catch.
          – J.R.
          2 days ago






        • 1




          "causing the fish to become smaller over time" - You might better say, "causing the average size of adult fish to become smaller over time"
          – WhatRoughBeast
          yesterday






        • 3




          @WhatRoughBeast Agreed. To me, "become smaller" makes it sound more like the individual fish are shrinking in size, which I doubt is what the author meant (though the original headline could also be interpreted that way).
          – p.s.w.g
          yesterday













        up vote
        30
        down vote










        up vote
        30
        down vote









        Oxford lists three primary meanings for the word grow. The first two reflect what we often immediately think of when we think about growing:




        grow (v.) to undergo natural development by increasing in size and changing physically



        grow (v.) to become larger or greater over a period of time; to increase




        It’s the third meaning, though, that provides the key to your apparent oxymoron:




        grow (v.) to become, gradually or increasingly :
        sharing our experiences we grew braver




        So, if the number of fish are gradually becoming diminished, then a headline might say:




        Tasty Fish Grow Smaller in Warming Ocean




        More likely, though, is probably referring to the size of the fish, if the gradually-warming ocean is causing the fish to become smaller over time (or, perhaps more accurately, "causing the average size of adult fish to become smaller over time").






        share|improve this answer














        Oxford lists three primary meanings for the word grow. The first two reflect what we often immediately think of when we think about growing:




        grow (v.) to undergo natural development by increasing in size and changing physically



        grow (v.) to become larger or greater over a period of time; to increase




        It’s the third meaning, though, that provides the key to your apparent oxymoron:




        grow (v.) to become, gradually or increasingly :
        sharing our experiences we grew braver




        So, if the number of fish are gradually becoming diminished, then a headline might say:




        Tasty Fish Grow Smaller in Warming Ocean




        More likely, though, is probably referring to the size of the fish, if the gradually-warming ocean is causing the fish to become smaller over time (or, perhaps more accurately, "causing the average size of adult fish to become smaller over time").







        share|improve this answer














        share|improve this answer



        share|improve this answer








        edited yesterday

























        answered 2 days ago









        J.R.

        96.7k8126242




        96.7k8126242








        • 1




          I think you should be clearer that these are three meanings you think are relevant to the question, not that they are the only three meanings.
          – Acccumulation
          2 days ago






        • 14




          If it’s the number of fish that’s decreasing, you would never use ‘smaller’ at all. You might say the fish are growing fewer, or that the number of fish is growing smaller, but not that the fish are growing smaller – that refers unambiguously to their size.
          – Janus Bahs Jacquet
          2 days ago






        • 1




          @Janus - You're right; I was assuming that a headline writer might have left off the "Number of" to keep the headline short. I've reworded my answer to make it a bit less misleading. Nice catch.
          – J.R.
          2 days ago






        • 1




          "causing the fish to become smaller over time" - You might better say, "causing the average size of adult fish to become smaller over time"
          – WhatRoughBeast
          yesterday






        • 3




          @WhatRoughBeast Agreed. To me, "become smaller" makes it sound more like the individual fish are shrinking in size, which I doubt is what the author meant (though the original headline could also be interpreted that way).
          – p.s.w.g
          yesterday














        • 1




          I think you should be clearer that these are three meanings you think are relevant to the question, not that they are the only three meanings.
          – Acccumulation
          2 days ago






        • 14




          If it’s the number of fish that’s decreasing, you would never use ‘smaller’ at all. You might say the fish are growing fewer, or that the number of fish is growing smaller, but not that the fish are growing smaller – that refers unambiguously to their size.
          – Janus Bahs Jacquet
          2 days ago






        • 1




          @Janus - You're right; I was assuming that a headline writer might have left off the "Number of" to keep the headline short. I've reworded my answer to make it a bit less misleading. Nice catch.
          – J.R.
          2 days ago






        • 1




          "causing the fish to become smaller over time" - You might better say, "causing the average size of adult fish to become smaller over time"
          – WhatRoughBeast
          yesterday






        • 3




          @WhatRoughBeast Agreed. To me, "become smaller" makes it sound more like the individual fish are shrinking in size, which I doubt is what the author meant (though the original headline could also be interpreted that way).
          – p.s.w.g
          yesterday








        1




        1




        I think you should be clearer that these are three meanings you think are relevant to the question, not that they are the only three meanings.
        – Acccumulation
        2 days ago




        I think you should be clearer that these are three meanings you think are relevant to the question, not that they are the only three meanings.
        – Acccumulation
        2 days ago




        14




        14




        If it’s the number of fish that’s decreasing, you would never use ‘smaller’ at all. You might say the fish are growing fewer, or that the number of fish is growing smaller, but not that the fish are growing smaller – that refers unambiguously to their size.
        – Janus Bahs Jacquet
        2 days ago




        If it’s the number of fish that’s decreasing, you would never use ‘smaller’ at all. You might say the fish are growing fewer, or that the number of fish is growing smaller, but not that the fish are growing smaller – that refers unambiguously to their size.
        – Janus Bahs Jacquet
        2 days ago




        1




        1




        @Janus - You're right; I was assuming that a headline writer might have left off the "Number of" to keep the headline short. I've reworded my answer to make it a bit less misleading. Nice catch.
        – J.R.
        2 days ago




        @Janus - You're right; I was assuming that a headline writer might have left off the "Number of" to keep the headline short. I've reworded my answer to make it a bit less misleading. Nice catch.
        – J.R.
        2 days ago




        1




        1




        "causing the fish to become smaller over time" - You might better say, "causing the average size of adult fish to become smaller over time"
        – WhatRoughBeast
        yesterday




        "causing the fish to become smaller over time" - You might better say, "causing the average size of adult fish to become smaller over time"
        – WhatRoughBeast
        yesterday




        3




        3




        @WhatRoughBeast Agreed. To me, "become smaller" makes it sound more like the individual fish are shrinking in size, which I doubt is what the author meant (though the original headline could also be interpreted that way).
        – p.s.w.g
        yesterday




        @WhatRoughBeast Agreed. To me, "become smaller" makes it sound more like the individual fish are shrinking in size, which I doubt is what the author meant (though the original headline could also be interpreted that way).
        – p.s.w.g
        yesterday










        up vote
        10
        down vote













        As well as the common usage of grow to increase in size it can also be used to indicate a gradual or progressive change of state for example




        As night fell it began to grow colder.




        Having said that using the phrase 'grow' smaller is probably best avoided as it is a bit ambiguous as it is not clear whether it means they actually shrink or they just grow more slowly, reach a smaller maximum size or indicating a trend in in the population as a whole over time.



        Although this is often the case with headlines and often the ambiguity is deliberate in order to make a story sound more interesting or sensational than it really is.






        share|improve this answer

























          up vote
          10
          down vote













          As well as the common usage of grow to increase in size it can also be used to indicate a gradual or progressive change of state for example




          As night fell it began to grow colder.




          Having said that using the phrase 'grow' smaller is probably best avoided as it is a bit ambiguous as it is not clear whether it means they actually shrink or they just grow more slowly, reach a smaller maximum size or indicating a trend in in the population as a whole over time.



          Although this is often the case with headlines and often the ambiguity is deliberate in order to make a story sound more interesting or sensational than it really is.






          share|improve this answer























            up vote
            10
            down vote










            up vote
            10
            down vote









            As well as the common usage of grow to increase in size it can also be used to indicate a gradual or progressive change of state for example




            As night fell it began to grow colder.




            Having said that using the phrase 'grow' smaller is probably best avoided as it is a bit ambiguous as it is not clear whether it means they actually shrink or they just grow more slowly, reach a smaller maximum size or indicating a trend in in the population as a whole over time.



            Although this is often the case with headlines and often the ambiguity is deliberate in order to make a story sound more interesting or sensational than it really is.






            share|improve this answer












            As well as the common usage of grow to increase in size it can also be used to indicate a gradual or progressive change of state for example




            As night fell it began to grow colder.




            Having said that using the phrase 'grow' smaller is probably best avoided as it is a bit ambiguous as it is not clear whether it means they actually shrink or they just grow more slowly, reach a smaller maximum size or indicating a trend in in the population as a whole over time.



            Although this is often the case with headlines and often the ambiguity is deliberate in order to make a story sound more interesting or sensational than it really is.







            share|improve this answer












            share|improve this answer



            share|improve this answer










            answered yesterday









            Chris Johns

            51926




            51926






















                up vote
                1
                down vote













                I don’t see any conflict in it.



                Yes, “to grow” means get bigger and they are! but consider that they grow less than expected.




                Tasty Fish Grow Smaller [than it is expected] in Warming Ocean.







                share|improve this answer

























                  up vote
                  1
                  down vote













                  I don’t see any conflict in it.



                  Yes, “to grow” means get bigger and they are! but consider that they grow less than expected.




                  Tasty Fish Grow Smaller [than it is expected] in Warming Ocean.







                  share|improve this answer























                    up vote
                    1
                    down vote










                    up vote
                    1
                    down vote









                    I don’t see any conflict in it.



                    Yes, “to grow” means get bigger and they are! but consider that they grow less than expected.




                    Tasty Fish Grow Smaller [than it is expected] in Warming Ocean.







                    share|improve this answer












                    I don’t see any conflict in it.



                    Yes, “to grow” means get bigger and they are! but consider that they grow less than expected.




                    Tasty Fish Grow Smaller [than it is expected] in Warming Ocean.








                    share|improve this answer












                    share|improve this answer



                    share|improve this answer










                    answered yesterday









                    Zich

                    1236




                    1236






















                        up vote
                        1
                        down vote













                        I think you can use 'grow', since there is an increase of 'smallness' compared to a previous state. A different argument is: 'grow smaller' does not mean a big fish turns small. It just means that fish now have a slower growth rate, or that they stop growing earlier at all. Nevertheless you have the act of 'growing' from tadpole to fish. This is what 'grow' refers to, it is not a general phenomena that happens to all fish.



                        So, long and thanks for all the fish :)






                        share|improve this answer








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                          up vote
                          1
                          down vote













                          I think you can use 'grow', since there is an increase of 'smallness' compared to a previous state. A different argument is: 'grow smaller' does not mean a big fish turns small. It just means that fish now have a slower growth rate, or that they stop growing earlier at all. Nevertheless you have the act of 'growing' from tadpole to fish. This is what 'grow' refers to, it is not a general phenomena that happens to all fish.



                          So, long and thanks for all the fish :)






                          share|improve this answer








                          New contributor




                          dial033 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                          Check out our Code of Conduct.




















                            up vote
                            1
                            down vote










                            up vote
                            1
                            down vote









                            I think you can use 'grow', since there is an increase of 'smallness' compared to a previous state. A different argument is: 'grow smaller' does not mean a big fish turns small. It just means that fish now have a slower growth rate, or that they stop growing earlier at all. Nevertheless you have the act of 'growing' from tadpole to fish. This is what 'grow' refers to, it is not a general phenomena that happens to all fish.



                            So, long and thanks for all the fish :)






                            share|improve this answer








                            New contributor




                            dial033 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                            Check out our Code of Conduct.









                            I think you can use 'grow', since there is an increase of 'smallness' compared to a previous state. A different argument is: 'grow smaller' does not mean a big fish turns small. It just means that fish now have a slower growth rate, or that they stop growing earlier at all. Nevertheless you have the act of 'growing' from tadpole to fish. This is what 'grow' refers to, it is not a general phenomena that happens to all fish.



                            So, long and thanks for all the fish :)







                            share|improve this answer








                            New contributor




                            dial033 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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                            share|improve this answer






                            New contributor




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                            answered 21 hours ago









                            dial033

                            111




                            111




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                            New contributor





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                                up vote
                                -2
                                down vote













                                What you are referring to is the basic form of speech that we use informally but is not correct ."Things can shrink smaller" is the correct usage .Also sometimes "grow smaller" can be used as an oxymoron in a poem .






                                share|improve this answer








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                                • 2




                                  Hmmm... Journalists don't seem to have any problem using the phase grow smaller in newspaper articles. Moreover, in books, the phrase shrink smaller is dwarfed by the expression grow smaller, and I doubt that's all oxymoronic poetry.
                                  – J.R.
                                  yesterday










                                • I think that its used to spice the sentences up ....
                                  – SLADE
                                  yesterday






                                • 3




                                  As mobile computing devices grow smaller and as in-car computing platforms become more common, we must augment traditional methods of human-computer interaction (from the abstract of "Pervasive Speech Recognition"). The gist of Moore's law is that as time passes, circuits will grow smaller in size, but bigger in functions due to the more efficient packing method to accommodate more components that are tinier (from "Assessment of High Temperature, Lead Free Paste Alternatives for Semiconductor Packaging"). Sorry, but I don't think those authors are being cute or "spicing things up".
                                  – J.R.
                                  yesterday















                                up vote
                                -2
                                down vote













                                What you are referring to is the basic form of speech that we use informally but is not correct ."Things can shrink smaller" is the correct usage .Also sometimes "grow smaller" can be used as an oxymoron in a poem .






                                share|improve this answer








                                New contributor




                                SLADE is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                Check out our Code of Conduct.














                                • 2




                                  Hmmm... Journalists don't seem to have any problem using the phase grow smaller in newspaper articles. Moreover, in books, the phrase shrink smaller is dwarfed by the expression grow smaller, and I doubt that's all oxymoronic poetry.
                                  – J.R.
                                  yesterday










                                • I think that its used to spice the sentences up ....
                                  – SLADE
                                  yesterday






                                • 3




                                  As mobile computing devices grow smaller and as in-car computing platforms become more common, we must augment traditional methods of human-computer interaction (from the abstract of "Pervasive Speech Recognition"). The gist of Moore's law is that as time passes, circuits will grow smaller in size, but bigger in functions due to the more efficient packing method to accommodate more components that are tinier (from "Assessment of High Temperature, Lead Free Paste Alternatives for Semiconductor Packaging"). Sorry, but I don't think those authors are being cute or "spicing things up".
                                  – J.R.
                                  yesterday













                                up vote
                                -2
                                down vote










                                up vote
                                -2
                                down vote









                                What you are referring to is the basic form of speech that we use informally but is not correct ."Things can shrink smaller" is the correct usage .Also sometimes "grow smaller" can be used as an oxymoron in a poem .






                                share|improve this answer








                                New contributor




                                SLADE is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                Check out our Code of Conduct.









                                What you are referring to is the basic form of speech that we use informally but is not correct ."Things can shrink smaller" is the correct usage .Also sometimes "grow smaller" can be used as an oxymoron in a poem .







                                share|improve this answer








                                New contributor




                                SLADE is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                Check out our Code of Conduct.









                                share|improve this answer



                                share|improve this answer






                                New contributor




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                                answered yesterday









                                SLADE

                                1




                                1




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                                New contributor





                                SLADE is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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                                SLADE is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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                                • 2




                                  Hmmm... Journalists don't seem to have any problem using the phase grow smaller in newspaper articles. Moreover, in books, the phrase shrink smaller is dwarfed by the expression grow smaller, and I doubt that's all oxymoronic poetry.
                                  – J.R.
                                  yesterday










                                • I think that its used to spice the sentences up ....
                                  – SLADE
                                  yesterday






                                • 3




                                  As mobile computing devices grow smaller and as in-car computing platforms become more common, we must augment traditional methods of human-computer interaction (from the abstract of "Pervasive Speech Recognition"). The gist of Moore's law is that as time passes, circuits will grow smaller in size, but bigger in functions due to the more efficient packing method to accommodate more components that are tinier (from "Assessment of High Temperature, Lead Free Paste Alternatives for Semiconductor Packaging"). Sorry, but I don't think those authors are being cute or "spicing things up".
                                  – J.R.
                                  yesterday














                                • 2




                                  Hmmm... Journalists don't seem to have any problem using the phase grow smaller in newspaper articles. Moreover, in books, the phrase shrink smaller is dwarfed by the expression grow smaller, and I doubt that's all oxymoronic poetry.
                                  – J.R.
                                  yesterday










                                • I think that its used to spice the sentences up ....
                                  – SLADE
                                  yesterday






                                • 3




                                  As mobile computing devices grow smaller and as in-car computing platforms become more common, we must augment traditional methods of human-computer interaction (from the abstract of "Pervasive Speech Recognition"). The gist of Moore's law is that as time passes, circuits will grow smaller in size, but bigger in functions due to the more efficient packing method to accommodate more components that are tinier (from "Assessment of High Temperature, Lead Free Paste Alternatives for Semiconductor Packaging"). Sorry, but I don't think those authors are being cute or "spicing things up".
                                  – J.R.
                                  yesterday








                                2




                                2




                                Hmmm... Journalists don't seem to have any problem using the phase grow smaller in newspaper articles. Moreover, in books, the phrase shrink smaller is dwarfed by the expression grow smaller, and I doubt that's all oxymoronic poetry.
                                – J.R.
                                yesterday




                                Hmmm... Journalists don't seem to have any problem using the phase grow smaller in newspaper articles. Moreover, in books, the phrase shrink smaller is dwarfed by the expression grow smaller, and I doubt that's all oxymoronic poetry.
                                – J.R.
                                yesterday












                                I think that its used to spice the sentences up ....
                                – SLADE
                                yesterday




                                I think that its used to spice the sentences up ....
                                – SLADE
                                yesterday




                                3




                                3




                                As mobile computing devices grow smaller and as in-car computing platforms become more common, we must augment traditional methods of human-computer interaction (from the abstract of "Pervasive Speech Recognition"). The gist of Moore's law is that as time passes, circuits will grow smaller in size, but bigger in functions due to the more efficient packing method to accommodate more components that are tinier (from "Assessment of High Temperature, Lead Free Paste Alternatives for Semiconductor Packaging"). Sorry, but I don't think those authors are being cute or "spicing things up".
                                – J.R.
                                yesterday




                                As mobile computing devices grow smaller and as in-car computing platforms become more common, we must augment traditional methods of human-computer interaction (from the abstract of "Pervasive Speech Recognition"). The gist of Moore's law is that as time passes, circuits will grow smaller in size, but bigger in functions due to the more efficient packing method to accommodate more components that are tinier (from "Assessment of High Temperature, Lead Free Paste Alternatives for Semiconductor Packaging"). Sorry, but I don't think those authors are being cute or "spicing things up".
                                – J.R.
                                yesterday





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