Another Less-Few Comic

Remember the rule: use fewer when you’re counting, and less when you’re measuring. You count how many kids you have, right? Should be fewer

Of course, some things can go either way, such as time. You can count hours, for example (Since I retired, I work far fewer hours than I used to.), but you can also measure the time using units such as hours (I spent less time at work today than I usually do.).

So pay attention to what you’re writing!

This post first appeared on The Writing Rag.

Subscribe to this blog's RSS feed

The rule is (Okay, maybe I should say “the rules are.)

• Use “less” when you’re measuring
• Use “fewer” when you’re counting.

Warning: pay attention to the context!

This sentence looks okay, right?

Astronomers have detected less than half of the estimated 25,000 near-Earth objects thought to be 459 feet in size or greater.

https://www.axios.com/newsletters/axios-space-0c3f02e5-1453-4f8c-b9fa-6dd90db64456.html

“Less than half” feels correct, doesn’t it? That’s because with fractions, usually you’re measuring. But this sentence is counting asteroids, so it should say “fewer.”

When you write, be alert! Pay attention! Here’s a picture of an asteroid so you have something besides text to look at. Thanks, NASA.

This post first appeared on The Writing Rag.

She’s right of course. Get it right in your own writing, and don’t correct others unless they ask. Or to make a joke.

Use “fewer” when you’re counting and “less” when you’re measuring.

This post first appeared on The Writing Rag.

When we count things, the rule it to say “fewer,” and when we measure things, we say “less.” So we have fewer apples, but less distance. Since we measure time, normally we say less.

But you can count time, too, and when that happens, you should use fewer. So the guy in this comic has it wrong.

Just be sure you’re counting units of time, not measuring the time itself.

I was sitting at a restaurant this morning and showed this comic to my waiter (Hi, Rich!) and he laughed. I saw a quick writing lesson, though; one I’ve mentioned before: when to use less and when to use fewer. Use “fewer” when you’re counting.

If they had used “stuff” instead of “things,” “less” would have been appropriate.

PS—yes, she should have said “there are” instead of “there’s.”