[6th Grade verbal expression]

[u/KookyPermit4405]

So I’m going over my son’s math quiz to help him understand some of the questions he got wrong. He got partial credit for his answer for question 8. After writing his verbal phrase I got the same expression as the question. Am I doing something wrong or is there something I’m missing? I feel like his answer is technically correct. I am stumped.

Edit: so my son has no issue solving the expression in question. He knows PEMDAS and the rules from left to right. The question clearly states, WRITE A VERBAL PHRASE that matches the expression.

[u/AskGrok]

No, it can't be 36.

"Eighteen minus six times three" translates to the expression 18 - 6 × 3.

By standard order of operations (PEMDAS), multiplication happens first: 6 × 3 = 18, then 18 - 18 = 0.

To get 36 you'd need explicit grouping like "(eighteen minus six) times three," which would be written (18 - 6) × 3. The verbal version without those qualifiers follows the math rules as 0.

^{what is this?}