Fewer vs. Less

Hello, hello! Enjoy this lovely grammar tip from the Writing Center! 

 

(Image from Grammar Girl: Less versus Fewer http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/less-versus-fewer)

To be or not to be...fewer or less?

So when do you use fewer and when do you use less? These words confuse a lot of folks, but the rule is actually nice and simple. Huzzah!

Rule: Use fewer for stuff you can count and less for what you can't count. 

There were fewer hedgehogs at the Redwall party this season, which made it less fun. They tell the best knock-knock jokes. 

This rule depends on count v. non-count nouns. 

Count nouns can be counted. That's easy. They also typically are nouns with plural forms ending in "s":  students, jokes, books, lollipops

Non-count nouns technically cannot be counted, or are tricky to count. They tend to have no plural form:  air, money, fun, information, research and my personal non-count favorite--asparagus (That's right! According to grammar, you can't count those wily asparagus. If you do, they become asparagus spears.).

How do you like them apples?

Is this correct: I'm going to take less wasabi peas to the dance this year.  

Yes? No! A wasabi pea is a count noun, so fewer wasabi peas is the correct choice. 

What's grammar without a few exceptions?

Some exceptions to the count v. non-count rule with fewer v. less are things we generally think about in groups, like time and money. These use less, instead of fewer. 

The Hedgehog Banquet had a budget of less than $30.

They can bake forty dozen cookies in less than six hours!

I felt like I ran forever, but it was less than a mile. 

Less goes with singular nouns.

If you're referring to a single thing, whether it's a count or non-count noun, use less. 

Sally had one less egg after her ill-fated juggling experience. 

She'd have fewer eggs overall if she always juggled while riding a unicycle. 

And now for the main event!

10 items or less. 

What a debate this sparks! Is it correct; is it wrong? Under strict grammar rules, it's wrong. Items can be counted, so technically it should be 10 items or fewer. 

HOWEVER, some grammar manuals allow for it on account of less being more "natural" is certain cases, such as 10 items or less. So put away your sharpie, fellow grammar friends--the grocery store signs can stay as they are. (Oh, is that just me who fixes those?) :) 

Fun Fact from the OED: 

The first use of less to mean "a smaller number" originated from the Old English word laes (Swa mid laes worda...) which translates to "so with less words." This was written by Alfred the Great in 888 and is the first recorded instance of less being used to mean "a smaller number." Notice that it's used for a count noun (words). It's noted by the Oxford English Dictionary as being incorrect. 

I love this tidbit because Alfred the Great strongly believed in literacy, learning to read and write himself, and he translated many Latin works into English so as to make it accessible to the people of early Britain. 

How cool is that!? :) 

  

Resources:

Fogarty, Mignon. "Less Versus Fewer." Quick and Dirty Tips. Last modified January 30, 2015. Accessed February 19, 2016. http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/less-versus-fewer

Lynch, Paul and Allen Brizee. "Count and Noncount Nouns: Basic Rules." PurdueOWL. Accessed on February 19, 2016. https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/owlprint/541/ 

"Less." Oxford English Dictionary. Edited by Sir James A. H. Murray. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1908.