Dear
Master’s student,
Last
week we answered the age-old question “should I use who or
whom?” The next few writing tips will continue
examining which of two common options is the grammatically correct choice. This week: less or fewer.
At
the beginning of the calendar year, I wrote a tip on countable
vs. non-countable nouns. If you need a refresher course on the topic,
that blog is a good place to start.
Fewer
is used with countable nouns, i.e. nouns that can be counted. (An alternate way to think of countable nouns: any
noun that has a singular and a plural form.)
For example, six geese a laying,
five golden rings, four calling birds, or three French hens. So we’d also use fewer geese a laying, or golden rings, etc.
Less
should be used with nouns that can’t be counted (but are measured
instead). For example, nouns like dust, sand, advice, music. (There’s no such thing as “five advices
or three musics.”) So you’d say less dust, less music, etc.
Once
you’ve inculcated this rule into your mind you’ll start to notice others using
“less” incorrectly. You’ll notice it *all the time*. And it will start to drive you mad.
Cheers!
James
Here
are some fun practice sentences for you:
1.
Poor Lorde—she’ll always have [fewer/less] tigers on gold leashes than her
neighbors from better post codes.
2.
While [fewer/less] subjects participated in the Bateman study than in the
Pearson study, the former was deemed more reliable by virtue of its superior
methodology.
3.
I’m not sure for whom I should have [fewer/less] sympathy: obsessive,
compulsive, ego-maniacal Hannah, or self-absorbed, solipsistic, criminally
fickle Marnie.
4.
Because secondary school systems have exacerbated disparities in access and
privilege, there are [fewer/less] minority and disadvantages students applying
to higher education.
Answers:
(1)fewer; (2) fewer; (3) less; (4) fewer
