Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site jhunix.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ihnp4!qantel!dual!vecpyr!lll-lcc!lll-crg!gymble!umcp-cs!aplcen!jhunix!ins_apmj From: ins_apmj@jhunix.UUCP (Patrick M Juola) Newsgroups: net.misc Subject: Re: Re: Is English decaying rapidly? (less/fewer) Message-ID: <1115@jhunix.UUCP> Date: Wed, 6-Nov-85 23:36:48 EST Article-I.D.: jhunix.1115 Posted: Wed Nov 6 23:36:48 1985 Date-Received: Sun, 10-Nov-85 10:15:01 EST References: <1427@cae780.UUCP> <10600197@uiucdcs> <197@bnrmtv.UUCP> <1044@jhunix.UUCP> <185@opus.UUCP> <433@mot.UUCP> Reply-To: ins_apmj@jhunix.ARPA (Patrick M Juola) Organization: Johns Hopkins Univ. Computing Ctr. Lines: 26 Keywords: less,fewer, English Summary: AAAUUUGHHH! In article <433@mot.UUCP> al@mot.UUCP (Al Filipski) writes: >> >> 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"? >>> AAARRRGGHHHHH. We just found another one. (Sorry about not citing the previous line, but I don't know who wrote it.) Anyway, Al, first of all, let's discuss what numbers are -- I'm not really sure what you consider to be 'continuous,' but *I* at least consider the real numbersto be a (almost by definition) continuous. If n refered only to integers, then there could be a case for referring to 'fewer than 5,' but without context, anyone would assume that a given variable refers to a real number. Second, OF COURSE this is an outmoded and pedantic discussion -- what we are discussing here is the decline of the Queen's English; the Queen to whom I refer being, of course, Victoria. The original complaint was that too many distinctions are being blurred, such as the less/fewer distinction, the "I couldn't care less" fallacy, and so forth. Pat Juola Johns Hopkins Univ. Dept of Maths