Grammarly Fewer Vs Less – Which is correct? The correct usage of fewer versus less depends on whether the noun is countable or uncountable. If you’re not sure, there are many resources available to help you with your grammar. In this article, we’ll look at the rules for using fewer in sentences.
Less is used with nouns that can be counted
The word less is used with nouns that can be numbered and counted. It is used with nouns that are singular or plural. For example, grocery stores have express checkout lines for those with ten or fewer items in their cart. This rule is correct, as the number of items in a cart is countable.
Using less with countable nouns is much easier than using fewer with uncountable nouns. The former are easily counted and have a plural form, while the latter are always singular. Therefore, you should use less with countable nouns whenever possible.
For example, supermarkets often advertise their “12 items or less.” But you should use “fewer calories” when marketing your product, because less calories may mean less taste. The grammatical distinction is not particularly ancient, but English speakers have been using less with countable items for a long time. In fact, supermarkets will often post “10 items or less” over express lanes. Though it’s grammatically correct to use less, it can sound strange if you’re not used to it.
Rules for using fewer vs less in sentences
One of the biggest confusions for writers is how to use fewer vs less in a sentence. While fewer is often used to mean less, there are certain rules that should be followed to avoid confusion. Firstly, less are adjectives, and they modify nouns. In other words, fewer modifies singular nouns and less modifies plural nouns.
In English, there are two kinds of nouns: countable and uncountable. The singular form refers to a single thing, whereas the plural form is a collection of several things. A common example of this would be: twenty-five minutes is a good time to complete a five-kilometer run. Similarly, you will need two hundred grams of chocolate to complete a recipe.
If you want to emphasize a point, use less. A simple rule of thumb is to use fewer when comparing numbers. A common example would be “fewer grains of sand than fewer grains of salt.” However, this rule is more complex than it seems.
Nouns that can’t be counted
Uncountable nouns are those that cannot be counted. This includes most abstract nouns and some common nouns. In general, countable nouns are things that are easy to separate into individual units or pieces. However, some nouns, such as sand, are uncountable.
Some words are both countable and uncountable, depending on their context. For example, the word army can be counted or uncountable depending on how it is used. However, the word problem is an abstract noun. For instance, a battle may involve two armies.
Some nouns are uncountable because they don’t have a plural form. These words include mail, garlic, chalk, and homework. Other examples include content, currency, fame, innocence, and cleanliness. In addition, labor, which is physical work, can be uncounted.
A number of other nouns are countable, but there are a few uncountable nouns as well. You need to understand the distinction between countable and uncountable nouns to avoid miscommunications in written English.
Nouns that can’t be measured
In the English language, a noun that can’t be measured is one that cannot be quantified or measured. Nouns like stars and grains of sand are immeasurable and cannot be counted, but we can count their measurable parts. Some examples of immeasurable things are fire, fermentation, earthquakes, and tornadoes.
Nouns that can’t be measured are sometimes called noncount nouns. They’re essentially labels for abstract ideas or experiences. As the name suggests, noncount nouns can’t be measured – not in volume, but also not in any other way. In addition, these nouns cannot be pluralized and never take the indefinite article. While some nouns are always uncountable, many others can be countable or noncountable depending on their context.