Re: Eliyahu, please clarify.

From: Eliyahu Rooff (lrooff_at_hotmail.com)
Date: 07/05/04 

Date: Sun, 4 Jul 2004 22:05:12 -0700

"LizzieB" <blahblah@blahblahblah.com> wrote in message
news:DC2Gc.14706$9l5.9566@twister.rdc-kc.rr.com...
> 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.
>
That pretty well explains it. The rule usually encountered is: use
"fewer" for things you
count (individually), and "less" for things you measure: "fewer
apples", "less water". Since "less" is also used as an adverb
("less successful"), "fewer" helps to distinguish "fewer successful
professionals" (fewer professionals who are successful) from "less
successful professionals" (professionals who are less successful).
(No such distinction is possible with "more", which serves as the
antonym of both "less" and "fewer".)
See also, http://englishplus.com/grammar/00000214.htm

Eliyahu

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