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Fewer datatypes. “Less” should be used when you’re talking about a qualitative measure, “fewer” when talking quantitatively. This message is sponsored by your
by BearOso 6y ago
Fewer datatypes. “Less” should be used when you’re talking about a qualitative measure, “fewer” when talking quantitatively.
This message is sponsored by your friendly neighborhood grammar nazi.
- TrainedMonkey 6y agoFixed, thanks for the heads up.
- gumby 6y agoIndeed; I misread that sentence the first time through and was briefly puzzled.
- hinkley 6y agoThanks, Stannis.
- linuxftw 6y agoThis is not a thing. There are no rigid rules for using less or fewer.
- zimpenfish 6y agoAnd the rigid rule that daft old prescriptivits insist on seems to have come from some random writer in 1770 going "I think this sounds better in this instance". http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/003775.html http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/003775.h...
- samatman 6y agoThanks a bunch, Der Fewer...
- Asraelite 6y agoThey're both quantitative. "quantitative" doesn't necessarily mean "discrete". The usual way to refer to this distinction is uncountable vs. countable nouns.
- Asooka 6y agoNope, it's less. You can use "less few" if a naked less bothers you. "Fewer" is not a real word - if it were, then we would also use "manyer" as its antonym. And before you go off saying I'm wrong, let me remind you that language evolves as its speakers will it to. You are speaking English, you can decide to change it however you want and nobody can claim you're wrong. Whether your change sticks or not is a different matter...
- llampx 6y agoLess applies to uncountable things, fewer applies to countable things.
- buzzerbetrayed 6y agoThis article explains there is significantly more nuance to it than that: https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/fewer-vs-less https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/fewer-vs-less
- zimpenfish 6y agoMay I direct you to Language Log, a blog of professional linguists and grammarians whose archives will be only too happy to disabuse you of this daft old prescriptivist nonsense? https://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/index.php?s=less+fewer https://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/index.php?s=less+fewer
- sowbug 6y agoI still can't get over people saying "I need to drink fewer milk."