Question 1098576
from purplemath website:


Translate "the quotient of x and 3" into an algebraic expression.
The keyword here is "quotient", which tells me that one of the items is divided by the other. The order of the items is important here, because order matters in division. Since (the unknown) comes first in the English expression, this tells me that it's on top in the fraction. Then this translates to x/3.


here's the link where this cames from.
the tutorial is on page 1 and the examples are on page 2.


<a href = "http://www.purplemath.com/modules/translat.htm" target = "_blank">http://www.purplemath.com/modules/translat.htm</a>


<a href = "http://www.purplemath.com/modules/translat2.htm" target = "_blank">http://www.purplemath.com/modules/translat2.htm</a>


consequently, the quotient of  the quotient of (-18) and (-3) would be (-18) / (-3).


the references are pretty decent and do take some of the mystery out of translating word problem, so give them a go.