Grammar: Less vs. Fewer

02Sep08

Picture: qwghlm

Today’s Odd Spot focused on the topic of big companies bowing down to allegations of poor grammar; namely Tesco (the large supermarket chain in the UK). Here’s how it went:

British supermarket chain Tesco has reportedly bowed to pressure from the Plain English Campaign and scrapped signs reading “ten items or less”. Critics say the signs should have read “ten items or fewer”. New signs will say “up to 10 items”, thereby avoiding a grammatical debate.”

Unfortunately, when questioned about the difference was between fewer and less I was unable to provide an explanation. So, using this article on the correct usage of fewer and less, I am now able to explain to the world on yet another common grammy folly. Joy!

In short—if you’re too lazy to read the whole linked article—less is used when describing an amount which cannot be counted, e.g. electricity, fun, memory etc., whereas fewer is used when describing an amount which can be counted, e.g. trees, computers, mice, etc. Even in sentences like, ‘Less than $50,’ the amount being specified is part of a larger unit or group so the usage of less is appropriate.

So in the case of Tesco, the correct usage should be ‘ten items or fewer’ because the items are countable. Whether you care or not is irrelevant, because now you are part of preserving grammar as we know it and at the very least you can say that you’ve learnt something today.

Filed under: Grammar   |  3 Comments
Tags: fewer or less, Grammar, odd spot, Tesco