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Fewer is for things that can be counted in numbers. Less is for non-numbered things. It's so easy that it really disturbs me when people get it wrong. Fewer pe
by magic_beans 9y ago
Fewer is for things that can be counted in numbers. Less is for non-numbered things. It's so easy that it really disturbs me when people get it wrong.
Fewer people. Fewer zoos. Fewer cigarettes. Less hatred. Less abuse. Less misuse of power.
- SubiculumCode 9y agoLess person, less zoo, less cigarette, fewer hatreds, fewer abuses, fewer misuses of power. Flip flopping it around. The last three are now countable. The first three, while maybe verging on nonsensical, are grammatically correct. Less zoo, for example, might be used in the context of closing down part of a zoo. 'I have less cigarette left than Joe', also makes sense, if we are comparing cigarette lengths.
- arximboldi 9y agoEven though one can say "two people", to me it feels that "less people" or "fewer persons" are more correct than "fewer people". On another note, see how "fewer times" and "less time" means different things (might help clarify the distinction to some.) (Non native speaker here though.)