Good morning, dear students!
Today I want us to take a quick look at the difference between LESS and FEWER. The two words are often confused (even by native English speakers), but there is a simple rule that will help you remember when to use each one.
Remember the difference between countable and uncountable nouns? Here, the rule states that verbs that are countable (and can be plural) must use ''fewer''. For example:
Mary has fewer friends than Jessica.
You should eat fewer cookies if you're trying to lose weight.
They have fewer students in grade 7 than in grade 8.
Meanwhile, ''Less'' is used for nouns that are uncountable (and thus are never considered plural). For example:
Next time, you should drink less wine.
I have less patience than she does.
We will take less time on the metro than in traffic.
There is some debate (if you didn't know by now, there are several current debates about English language usage) about what the rule should be. If you're interested in learning an alternative rule, you can read more here.
So which should you use for the following nouns:
Tacos
Computers
Knowledge
Potato Salad
Beer
Friends
Animals
English
Leave your answers in the comments and we'll talk about them in class!
Happy Tuesday and Happy Studying!
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