Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site mcgill-vision.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!micomvax!musocs!mcgill-vision!mouse From: mouse@mcgill-vision.UUCP (der Mouse) Newsgroups: net.misc Subject: Re: Re: Is English decaying rapidly? (less/fewer) Message-ID: <328@mcgill-vision.UUCP> Date: Thu, 7-Nov-85 06:03:57 EST Article-I.D.: mcgill-v.328 Posted: Thu Nov 7 06:03:57 1985 Date-Received: Fri, 8-Nov-85 21:29:28 EST References: <1427@cae780.UUCP> <10600197@uiucdcs> Organization: McGill University, Montreal Lines: 25 >>>> A recurring source of irritation to me is all the supermarket signs which >>>> say "x items or less" rather than "x items or FEWER". >>> That is shorthand for "X items or less than X items". It isn't a mistake. >> Yes, it IS a mistake. >> The difference between "less" and "fewer" is that .... > This seems like an overly pedantic and outmoded distinction. Should we > then also read "n < 5" as "n is fewer than 5" instead of "n is less than 5"? (Only when n is an integer :-) No, it is OK to say that 3 is less than 5. It is not OK to say that three items are less than five items; you have to say that three items are *fewer* than five items. That is to say, one number can be less than another, but one number *of something* is not less, but fewer, than another number *of something* (unless it's not fewer at all, but equal or more :-). -- der Mouse USA: {ihnp4,decvax,akgua,etc}!utcsri!mcgill-vision!mouse philabs!micomvax!musocs!mcgill-vision!mouse Europe: mcvax!seismo!cmcl2!philabs!as-above Hacker: One responsible for destroying / Wizard: One responsible for recovering it afterward