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Question: I went to my 40th high school reunion recently, and I lamented to one of my old classmates, "Less of us show up each reunion." He shot me a what-an-idiot look, and said: "You mean of us show up each reunion." I almost took him out behind the schoolhouse right then and there. Was he right or wrong?
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Business Lexington
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The Grammar Gourmet responds: He was probably wrong to correct your grammar in public. But on the grammar point, he was right - unless you meant that you and your classmates weigh less each time you meet. Then, indeed, less of you is showing up. But if you meant that your numbers are dwindling, then your classmate was right to use fewer. Here's the rule: You use fewer when you are describing countable nouns, such as cats, coyotes and classmates. You use less when you are describing abstract nouns, such as time, trouble and tact. So you'd say: "I have time to read ." You could also say: "I have hours in the day to do my business reading." You use less with time because time is abstract. You use fewer with hours because hours are countable.
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An easy way to remember this is if you can put a number before the noun -- for example, three hours or one classmate -- then use with that noun. Otherwise, use . Interesting story: Executives at Marks & Spencer, a British retailer, set up one of those checkout lanes for shoppers with just a handful of items. They posted the sign, "10 Items or Less." Since items are countable, this was grammatically incorrect. Several alert, obsessed patrons pointed out the error. But the executives thought the grammatically correct phrase, "10 Items or Fewer," sounded pretentious. The company solved the problem with a new sign: "Baskets only."
Neil Chethik, aka the Grammar Gourmet, is writer-in-residence at the Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning (www.carnegieliteracy.org). The Center offers writing classes and seminars for businesses and individuals. If you need help with a grammar or usage challenge, contact Neil at nchet@aol.com.