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From: perkins@bnrmtv.UUCP (Henry Perkins)
Newsgroups: net.misc
Subject: Re: Is English decaying rapidly?
Message-ID: <202@bnrmtv.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 30-Oct-85 18:07:36 EST
Article-I.D.: bnrmtv.202
Posted: Wed Oct 30 18:07:36 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 2-Nov-85 07:06:22 EST
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Organization: Bell Northern Research, Mtn. View, CA
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> >A recurring source of irritation to me is all the supermarket signs which
> >say "x items or less" rather than "x items or FEWER".
> >{hplabs,amdahl,3comvax}!bnrmtv!perkins          --Henry Perkins
> 
> That is shorthand for "X items or less than X items". It isn't a mistake.
> Kenneth Arromdee
> ..{decvax,ihnp4,allegra}!seismo!umcp-cs!aplvax!aplcen!jhunix!ins_akaa

Sorry, but it should be "X items or fewer (than X items)".  Fewer is
correct for things which are countable (i.e., with integers); less is
used with things which must be measured instead.  Thus "less than 1.5
quarts of milk" and "fewer than 7 bicycles".  You wouldn't refer to
.14567 bicycles or 5 milks, nor would you use 2.375 items.

If you can answer yes to "Does it make sense to think of 2.3 whatevers?"
or "Do I need to qualify whatever by weight/mass/volume/etc?" you should
use less.  Otherwise, use fewer.
-- 

{hplabs,amdahl,3comvax}!bnrmtv!perkins          --Henry Perkins