AvidGame of Thronesfans may rememberStannis Baratheon ’s commitmentto chasten the wordlesstofewer . The drug abuse no doubt warm the heart of every fussy grammarian watching the show — and mayhap elicited a few eye roster from other viewers .
Stannis was right : There is a so - called “ correct ” way to use each term . But like other grammar rules , this one was n’t ever really put in stone , and it also comes with a few exceptions .
When to UseFewervs.Less
The formula itself is pretty bare . Usefewerto modify matter you depend the number of , and uselessto qualify thing you measure the amount of . You orderedfewerpancakes than your babe , so you neededlesssyrup . There werefewerpeople in the diner today than there were yesterday , so it tooklesstime to be seat . Another way of life to think of it is in terms of singular versus plural form . Lessusually modifies singular noun , whilefewerpairs with plural single .
People normally err on the side ofless . You probably would n’t circumstantially say “ fewer sirup ” or “ fewer time , ” but you might say “ less hotcake ” or “ less people . ” Here ’s an easy way to keep the terms straight : Putthreebefore the noun in question . If it cause sense — three pancakes , three citizenry — go withfewer . If it sounds weird — three syrup , three fourth dimension — then stick withless .
Exceptions to the Rule:Less Thanvs.Fewer Than
The elision to the rule typically come into play when you ’re deciding betweenfewer thanandless than . agree to Merriam - Webster , less thanis often used for these class of countable things :
The common trend here is that while the modify noun itself is countable , the category is n’t . When you say “ less than 100 pounds , ” for example , you ’re really aver “ less weight than 100 pound . ” Weight is what ’s being measured ; hammer are just a replaceable unit of mensuration being used to do it .
In these situations , it can help to cerebrate about fraction and mixed units of measurement . Saying “ fewer than 24 hour ” imply an exact identification number of minute — but you might actually be babble out about 23 time of day , 13 second , and 3 seconds . Again , what you ’re measuring is prison term , not hours , soless than 24 hoursis the unspoiled option .
One site in which this rationalization does n’t work quite as well is when there are mass involved : They ordinarily are counted one by one ( averages and percentages excluded ) and ca n’t well be switch out for some other unit of measure . But in many cases , you’re able to still come up with an uncountable noun that justifies the use ofless thanoverfewer than . If you say a sports stadium can hold less than 10,000 multitude , you ’re appraise an amount of blank space ; if you say less than 10,000 mass responded to a poll , you ’re measuring an amount of engagement .
Another blanket exclusion to thefewer - versus - lessrule involve the phraseone less . Even if you’re able to count the matter , you still useone less . Nobody says “ one few problem ” or “ one fewer lonely girl . ”
The History of the Rule
The formula dates back to 1770 , when an English writer mention Robert Baker covered it in his bookReflections on the English Language :
“ [ Less ] is most commonly used in speaking of a Number ; where I should thinkFewerwould do better . No fewer than a Hundredappears to me not only more elegant thanNo less than a hundred , but more strictly proper . ”
The1994 editionof Merriam - Webster ’s Dictionary of English Usage bespeak out how immanent this is . “ Baker ’s remarks aboutfewerexpress clearly and modestly—“I should believe , ” “ appears to me”—his own taste and preference , ” it reads .
It ’s not clear how Baker ’s opinion became a governing grammar law that we still abide by today . But we do know that people have been usinglessrather thanfewerto qualify countable detail for at least 1100 age — so do n’t let the “ 10 Items or Less ” hitch - out sign at the food market store upset you too much .
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