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.
Is it 1 less or 1 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.
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.”
What does much fewer mean?
Much fewer is simply more correct than many fewer, despite its cacophony. Many modifies a noun: many apples. Much modifies the adjective: much fewer apples or far fewer apples.
Can I say much fewer?
“Many” is an adjective, while “much” is an adverb. As such, “many” cannot modify the adjective “fewer”. Only an adverb can modify and adjective. “Much fewer” is simply more correct than “many fewer“, despite its cacophony.
Can you say a lot fewer?
A lot of fewer is incorrect. Of comes before a noun, and doesn’t exist in the adverbial form (which you want to use here, with an adjective), so it’s a lot fewer.
Is it 10 items or less or fewer?
“10 items or less” is not correct!
This is wrong – it should be “10 items or fewer” because “items” is a countable noun. This goes to show you that even native English speakers sometimes break the rules of English grammar!
Is very less grammatically correct?
“Very less” is incorrect. “Very little” or “much less” would be possible alternatives. Some examples of how both phrases could be used: I paid very little for this jacket.
Does less than include equal?
Less than is used to describe the relationship between two values. It tells us that the given variable is either less than, greater than, or equal to.
When should you use fewer or less?
Generally, fewer is used when the number of things is counted (“fewer problems”) whereas less is used when the number is measured (“less trouble” or “less time”).
Are the words less and fewer interchangeable?
A: Many people believe “fewer” and “less” are interchangeable, but that’s not true. While both words signify a smaller quantity of something, each has a more specific use. “Fewer” emphasizes number and modifies plural nouns, as in a smaller number of persons or individual items.
Is one less thing to worry about?
“One less thing to worry about”: this implies that there are several different things that you have to worry about. For instance, the laundry, whether you’ll get a promotion, what to have for dinner, if the guy you’re dating will call you or not, whether or not your car is about to break down.
Why do people say less instead of fewer?
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.
Is fewer than subtraction?
Yes, usually, “fewer” means subtraction, but some questions might try to trick you! Be sure to read the problems carefully!
What is the difference between least and fewest?
“Least” can be used to mean to the lowest extent. If you say someone has done the least amount of work on a project, you can also say they worked the fewest hours. Note how the wording changes. “Least” is still an adverb describing the work done, and “fewest” is still describing the noun, hours.
Is only few correct?
‘Only a few’ is correct, ‘only few’ is not.
Do Americans use fewer?
‘Fewer’ is more syllables. People will always prefer a word with fewer syllables than one with more in spoken communication. This is an incredibly important point – if the purpose of language is to enable clear communication then the optimal form is the shortest form that clearly communicates the message.
Is 12 items or less grammatically correct?
“12 items or fewer” is correct/standard and “12 items or less” is incorrect/non-standard though common. It sounds common to me too. Less should only be used for non-countable nouns, so “less water”, “less time” but “fewer apples” and “fewer people”. “a glass of water or less” would be correct.
Is far fewer correct?
In English we (should) use ‘less’ for uncountable nouns (less soup, less bread) and ‘fewer’ for countable nouns (fewer cakes, fewer chairs). So ‘far fewer’ basically means ‘much less‘, but the two are used in different cases.
What does how many fewer people mean?
That’s because the adjective “many” is used with countable items (discrete or separate entities), such as people, pebbles and polliwogs. So when you’re referring to a significant reduction in the number of countable items, “many fewer people” (or pebbles or polliwogs) is the correct choice.
What is the meaning of far less?
far less (water): much less, a lot less (water) far fewer (problems): a lot fewer, many fewer (problems)
Is it correct to say many more?
You use “much more” in front of an uncountable noun. Another example: I need much more time to do this job. On the other hand, you use “many more” in front of plural nouns such as I have many more friends in this city. Much more is a colloquial term.