What is the rule for using fewer or less?

What is the rule for using fewer or less?

Fewer means “not as many.” We use fewer with countable nouns like cookies. Less means “not as much.” We use less with uncountable nouns like milk.

What is the difference between less than and fewer than?

Summary: 1. “Less than” is used for quantities which cannot be counted, for example, “The employment rate in 2009 was less than it was in 2010.” Whereas “fewer than” is used for quantities which can be counted. For example, “Her shopping basket has fewer items than her friend’s shopping basket.”

How do you remember the difference between less and fewer?

It should be FEWER!) and those who don’t know the difference. Do you know the super simple tip to tell them apart? Use LESS for things you can’t count: less sunshine….

• fewer words.
• fewer buttons.
• fewer cupcakes.

Is it less and less or fewer and fewer?

The simplest answer is that less and fewer are in variation and always have been. Just as more can be used with both count and noncount nouns, so can less. In other words, less is the default, but we also have the option of using fewer when it comes immediately before a plural count noun.

Does less vs fewer matter?

According to usage rules, fewer is only to be used when discussing countable things, while less is used for singular mass nouns. For example, you can have fewer ingredients, dollars, people, or puppies, but less salt, money, honesty, or love. If you can count it, go for fewer. If you can’t, opt for less.

Do you say one less or one fewer?

A. If the countable noun is plural, choose fewer; if it’s singular, choose less. When it says to reserve less for mass nouns, it means singular mass nouns.) One is always singular: there is one less food group in the new pyramid; there is one less number in this column.

Why do people say less instead of fewer?

Does fewer mean subtract?

Subtraction-minus, greater than, take away, fewer than, less than, subtract, decreased by. Multiplication-product, multiply, multiplied by, times. Division-quotient, dividend, divide, divided by, each, per, average, divided equally.

Do you use less or fewer with percentages?

Percentages. Percentages are single quantities. They are not countable, so that means using ‘less than’. However when they refer to something countable, then you should use ‘fewer than’.

Where do we use fewer and few?

Use fewer for countable things, and less for things you don’t count. For example, you can have fewer pages, rocks, lions, or tigers, but less sugar, water, confidence, or sympathy. If you can count it, go for few or fewer. Use few for a small countable amount.

What is meaning of fewer and fewer?

(comparative of `little’ usually used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning not as great in amount or degree. less. (nonstandard in some uses but often idiomatic with measure phrases) fewer.

Do you say one fewer or one less?

Some prescriptivists argue that even the extremely rare and completely unidiomatic “one fewer” should be used instead of “one less” (both when used alone or together with a singular, discretely quantifiable noun as in “there is one fewer cup on this table”), but Merriam–Webster’s Dictionary of English Usage clearly …

What is the difference between fewer and less?

There’s a commonly repeated rule about fewer and less. It goes like this: fewer is used to refer to number among things that are counted, as in “fewer choices” and “fewer problems”; less is used to refer to quantity or amount among things that are measured, as in “less time” and “less effort.”

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When do you use the rule of fewer?

Rule Less is the comparative form of little. It is used especially before uncountable nouns. Fewer is the comparative of few. It is used before plural nouns.

Which is the comparative form of the word fewer?

Less is the comparative form of little. It is used especially before uncountable nouns. Fewer is the comparative of few. It is used before plural nouns. For example: Jeff drinks less alcohol than John. I have fewer pairs of shoes than I used to have.