Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/5/84; site mot.UUCP Path: utzoo!utcs!mnetor!mot!al From: al@mot.UUCP (Al Filipski) Newsgroups: net.misc Subject: Re: Re: Is English decaying rapidly? (less/fewer) Message-ID: <433@mot.UUCP> Date: Sun, 3-Nov-85 13:49:40 EST Article-I.D.: mot.433 Posted: Sun Nov 3 13:49:40 1985 Date-Received: Sun, 3-Nov-85 22:23:53 EST References: <1427@cae780.UUCP> <10600197@uiucdcs> <197@bnrmtv.UUCP> <1044@jhunix.UUCP> <185@opus.UUCP> Organization: Motorola Microsystems, Tempe, AZ 85282 Lines: 19 > > > >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. > > AAARRRGGHHHHH. We just found another one. > > Yes, it IS a mistake. > The difference between "less" and "fewer" is that "less" refers to a > measure of a continuous quantity while "fewer" refers to a smaller number > of discrete objects. 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"? -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alan Filipski, UNIX group, Motorola Microsystems, Tempe, AZ U.S.A 85282 seismo!ut-sally!oakhill!mot!al, ihnp4!mot!al, ucbvax!arizona!asuvax!mot!al --------------------------------------------------------------------------