Less Than Delighted
Posted in Linguistic Annoyances at 14:17 on 26 July 2009
Speaking of supermarkets, I am of course the sort of person who feels like taking a marker pen to amend those notices at the “quick” tills for those who have only a handful of purchases.
The signs ought of course to read, “Fewer Than X Items.” (Insert whatever number applies.)
Fewer, because “items” describes a plural quantity. For example; fewer accidents would be a boon.
If supermarkets had fewer notices with mistakes like this I would find myself with less to moan about.
“Less” ought only to be used with singular nouns (as in “more haste, less speed”) or in expressions like this post’s title, or my previous sentence.
Bankers (Insert your own Comment) – A Son of the Rock -- Jack Deighton
10 February 2011 at 14:11
[…] note – as I did – “less paid in bonuses” and certainly not “fewer […]