Re: Eliyahu, please clarify.

From: LizzieB (blahblah_at_blahblahblah.com)
Date: 07/05/04

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    Date: Mon, 05 Jul 2004 02:00:03 GMT

    K. Carp wrote:

    > I don't see the difference between "100 words or less" and "a quart or less"
    > in ability to quantify.
    >
    > 100 words or less would be any words less than 100. That is quantified.
    >
    > A quart or less would be anything less than one quart. That is quantified.
    >
    > I believe you, I just don't get it. Can you say it in a different way, or
    > use another example that I might understand better?

    I hope you don't mind me butting in here, but this is the "easy" (well,
    insofar as one could call English "easy") way I learned it:

    If you can count it, i.e., 1-2-3-4-5, etc, it's "fewer."

    If you can't count it, i.e., a mass of something, it's "less than."

    For example, one can count words. There comes a point in time when one
    might not WANT to continue counting, but they are individual. One can
    count grapes, or items in their shopping baskets at the grocery store in
    order to qualify for the Express Lane.

    For further example, one can't count jam. You can count JARS of jam.
    Or OUNCES of jam. Or SPOONS of jam. But one can't count jam. "There
    is less than half that quart of jam left."

    I'm quite sure that's clear as the aforementioned jam, but that's my
    best shot at explaining it.

    LizzieB

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