Question 1123048
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"1 less than...":  you are subtracting 1 from something else.<br>
(???) - 1<br>
***NOTE***  Beginning algebra students often want to try to translate each word or phrase into a mathematical symbol without paying attention to the meaning of the words.  They end up translating "1 less than..." as "1 - ???" because the "less than" (the minus sign) comes after the "1".  But clearly the meaning is that the 1 is what is being subtracted.<br>
"1 less than four times...":  you are subtracting the 1 from 4 times something else.<br>
4*(???) - 1<br>
"1 less than four times the sum of...":  you are subtracting the 1 from 4 times the sum of two (or more) things.<br>
4*(???+???) - 1<br>
"1 less than four times the sum of a number and 2":  the sum in the expression is the sum of the unknown number (x) and 2.<br>
4*(x+2) - 1<br>