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Why are people using less instead of fewer?
According to usage rules, fewer is only to be used when discussing countable things, while less is used for singular mass nouns. For example, you can have fewer ingredients, dollars, people, or puppies, but less salt, money, honesty, or love. If you can count it, go for fewer. If you can’t, opt for less.
What is the rule for using less and fewer?
‘Fewer’ and ‘Less’ Generally, fewer is used when the number of things is counted (“fewer problems”) whereas less is used when the number is measured (“less trouble” or “less time”).
When should we use much many and less fewer?
We use quantifiers before nouns to talk about quantities. We use fewer with countable nouns when we compare two things, to say that one thing is smaller in number than another thing….more, less/fewerb1.
| Countable | Uncountable |
|---|---|
| more books | more money |
| fewer books | less money |
What happened to the word fewer?
It’s being replaced by “less” and seemingly falling into disuse.
Is it one less thing or one fewer thing?
If you’re wondering if you should use “one less thing” or “one thing less”, rest assured both are correct. However, “one less thing” is more common than “one thing less”.
How do you remember the difference between less and fewer?
The basic rule to remember in less vs. fewer is: Less means a smaller amount or “not as much” and is used when describing singular or uncountable nouns. Fewer is defined as not as much and is used when describing plural or countable nouns.
Is much fewer grammatically correct?
Many is an adjective, while much is an adverb. As such, many cannot modify the adjective fewer; only an adverb can modify an adjective. Much fewer is simply more correct than many fewer, despite its cacophony.
Is fewer countable or uncountable?
Less is used with uncountable nouns, like money or work or travel, and fewer is used with countable plural nouns, like coins or jobs or trips. Less is the comparative form of little and fewer is the comparative form of few.
What is the difference between less than and fewer than?
Summary: 1. “Less than” is used for quantities which cannot be counted, for example, “The employment rate in 2009 was less than it was in 2010.” Whereas “fewer than” is used for quantities which can be counted. For example, “Her shopping basket has fewer items than her friend’s shopping basket.”
What does it mean one less thing to worry about?
“One less thing to worry about”: this implies that there are several different things that you have to worry about. For instance, the laundry, whether you’ll get a promotion, what to have for dinner, if the guy you’re dating will call you or not, whether or not your car is about to break down.
What is the opposite of fewer and less?
The words less and fewer both mean the same thing; they are both the opposite of “more.” But students of English, and even native speakers, often have trouble knowing which word to use in different situations.