Wisdom from the Grammar Goddess: The Appropriate Use of Less and FewerBy Diane Sandford, Published on August 31, 2003
After watching a particularly annoying television commercial for a new local bank that promised less paperwork to set up an account, less time to process transactions, and less lines at the counter, I realized that many of us do not understand the appropriate use of less and fewer. In the bank commercial, grammar fell victim to a misguided attempt for consistency in sentence structure.
It’s difficult to master the subtleties of English and, in particular, the fine distinction between fewer and less. Even some well-respected authors have had trouble with it. When the late Isaac Asimov, author of more than 400 science and science fiction books, was asked if he followed the fewer/less rule, he told the editors of the Harper Dictionary of Contemporary Usage that he had never heard of it.
why is it important to commit this rule to memory when some notable writers
aren’t familiar with the rule? The answer is
simple: The grammatical misuse of less and fewer can be a
jarring distraction. Whether you’re writing a formal document or a simple
email, keep your reader focused on the message by avoiding grammatical stop
|Rule: Use fewer to describe countable things. Use less to describe uncountable quantities, collective amounts, and degree. These terms are not interchangeable.|
If you can substitute much as the modifier, then use less; if you can substitute many, use fewer.
Look at some examples:
point of view can complicate the issue:
have fewer or less children than you? If children is an amount
in my mind, then I should use less; if I mean children as a number of
distinct individuals, then I should use fewer.
Does Option A have fewer or less advantages than Option B? If the advantages are fewer in number, use fewer. If they are less in degree, then use less.
Nevertheless, these sentences are risky. What was the author’s intent? If the reader has the opposite interpretation in mind, then the author appears to have made a mistake—or worse, doesn’t know the difference. Always look for possible misinterpretations of your word choice and, if necessary, recast the sentence to eliminate the ambiguity.
creates such rules? This particular rule can be traced to Robert Baker, who
in 1770 suggested that “No Fewer than a Hundred appears to be not
only more elegant than No Less than a Hundred, but more strictly
proper.” Perhaps his remark had a significant influence on the grammar
mavens of his age. Perhaps others reached the same conclusion on their
own. Who knows? But Baker’s suggestion is now a strict rule in most
grammar books. Even Strunk and White’s
Style includes an elementary form of the rule. If you’re
interested in a more extensive discussion of less and fewer,
you may wish to take a look at
Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of English Usage.
you trust your ear when deciding whether to use less and fewer?
Probably not. Unless you have good reason or expert justification,
follow the rule (and keep some reference sources nearby).
By the way,
I’ve decided I’ll stick with my old bank. It offers fewer services,
but is less grammatically offensive.
Do you have a grammar question? Comments? Suggestions? Please let me know.