Fewer or less
“Fewer” or “less”
The difference is …
The Arakan forest turtle measures
less than 30cm in length.
There are fewer members of this
species left in the wild than ever before.
“Fewer” or “less”
“Fewer” refers to the number of things counted.
“Fewer” is used with expressions denoting
things that can be counted.
Example,
….fewer than four players
While “less” is used with mass terms
denoting things of measurable extent.
Example,
…..less paper,
…..less than a gallon of paint
“Less than” is used before a plural noun that
denotes a measure of time,
amount, or distance:
Example,
…..less than three weeks;
….less than $400;
…..less than 100km
Not many of these buildings are less than 30 years old.
The thought here is not of individual years,
but of a period of time; therefore, less.
Another example:
Some professors earn less than $7,500 a year.
The thought is not of separate dollars
but of a sum of money.
So … less refers to quantity or
amount among things that are measured
and to number among things that are counted.
Less …………is sometimes used with plural nouns
in the expressions no less than
Example,
No less than 30 of his colleagues
signed the letter and or less.
Proper usage is in the eye,
or mouth, of the beholder.
Depending on the usage,
less can be three of the four parts of speech.
As a noun:
He received less than he anticipated.
As an adjective:
This Christmas I had less time to spend with friends.
And as an adverb:
She is less happy.
Happy Learning
tengkp
