Does anybody still bother about the difference between ‘less’ and ‘fewer’? Clearly not Starbucks, who are distributing the napkin pictured below in their outlets as I write.
It should of course be ‘fewer napkins’. I guess, when it comes to grammar, Starbucks couldn’t care fewer.
The rule is very simple: if you can count what you’re talking about, you should say ‘fewer’; if you can’t, it’s ‘less’. Or, to put it another way, if the subject is plural, it’s ‘fewer’, while a singular noun requires ‘less’.
The following examples all highlight the distinction:
- ‘less alcohol’, but ‘fewer units’
- ‘less sugar’, but ‘fewer lumps’
- ‘less inaccuracy’, but ‘fewer mistakes’
The problem may be exacerbated because there is no such distinction in the other direction: we can say ‘more’ regardless of whether we’re talking about a number or not (as the Starbucks napkin illustrates).
Of course, this is the pedant’s view. Being charitable to Starbucks, they may have felt that ‘less’ was better in their situation and made a conscious decision to break the rule. It’s shorter (which is always better, ceteris paribus) and more memorable, since ‘less’ and ‘more’ are so often linked together or contrasted (e.g. ‘less is more’).
Perhaps people are becoming less concerned with this type of precision. But the point is that while adhering to the rules makes no difference to readers who don’t care, breaking them really grates with those who do. (Unless, of course, it makes you sound ludicrously stiff and formal, as with ‘whence’, ‘to whom’ and similar constructions.) For the same reason, we might observe unwritten rules like leaving the bottom button of a waistcoat undone, or scooping a soup spoon away from ourselves – people who care will notice.
So there’s a logical case for accuracy, just to maximise impact. Grammar rules!
Tagged with: less and fewer, Starbucks
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December 17 2009 at 10:10 pm
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Plain English Patrol 1 | ABC Copywriting blog
August 31 2011 at 9:57 am
[...] up is Costa Coffee. I’ve had a pop at Starbucks before, so it’s only fair their rival should take one in the shorts. I was last there trying my very [...]
Lynda Freebrey
September 2 2011 at 11:53 am
Oh, what is happening to our language?
My partner can often be heard shouting at the TV “FEWER not LESS” as the incorrect usage of less and fewer drives him mad !
Neither of us can believe the standard of English used by BBC journalists who cannot pronounce words (secertary, battry, garige, to name but a few), or who use the incorrect words or just get things wrong grammatically. If they get it wrong, what chance is there for the rest of us ?
The written word is even worse and every day we squirm when we see the mistakes. Who would have thought when somebody actuall gets it right? Our local Waitrose have a sign up at one of their checkouts: “Fewer than 6 items” Bravo Waitrose, we say!
Hayley Chalmers
September 2 2011 at 12:30 pm
I think you are being very charitable to suggest that they did it on purpose. I bet they didn’t! Why don’t you ask them? Make them explain themselves.
Not a day can go by when I don’t see something written incorrectly – or as Lynda says – hear the BBC allowing presenters to say ‘I’ when they mean ‘me’ and vice versa. Don’t get me started on the use of ‘myself’ when they just need ‘I’ or actually mean ‘me’. Aren’t journalists supposed to know this stuff?
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