When writing formally with reference to numbers, the use of 'less' or 'fewer' needs to be correct. It depends on the noun to which you are referring.
If the noun is in the plural, 'fewer' is correct.
For instance:
There were fewer advertisements in the newspaper for positions than in the previous month.
Fewer patrons attended the opera than were expected.
If the noun is referring to a singular mass, 'less' is used.
For instance:
There was less unemployment in 2008 than in 2009.
To economise, we started buying less expensive meat.
The corresponding word, 'more', can be used with both the plural noun and the singular mass noun, as in:
More patrons attended the opera than were expected.
There was more unemployment in 2008 than in 2009.
In less formal types of writing, such as in an email to a friend, the use of 'less' in both instances is becoming more acceptable.
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Chair Love!!
9 years ago
When travelling in England, I noticed that Waitrose stores always have signs that say "Ten items or fewer". Other English supermarkets (and Australian ones too) tend to use the incorrect form as in "Ten items or less".
ReplyDeleteJudy