Grammar Tip: Fewer vs Less

Yes, I just got called out on this

Photo by charlesdeluvio on Unsplash

Hello!

Today, I have a simple grammar tip brought to you by an angry anonymous commenter on the Bar Harbor Story (my news site). We write a million words a year there. We have typos because we also have no copyeditor and I am TERRIBLE at copyediting or proofreading my own work.

TERRIBLE.

Anyway, we wrote “less cruise ships” in a headline.

We should have written “fewer cruise ships” in a headline.

When I say “we,” I mean “me.”

Mr. Murphy did not care about this mistake because I gave him a special snack.

This made someone angry. Very angry. So angry that they sent us an angry public comment and were a butt face about it.

Poor human. They have had a million chances to say, “Good job making ‘a lot’ two words.” There were so many times that they could have said, “Look at all the full sentences you’ve had. Wow. Millions!” They have had a lot of chances to praise our spelling.

Did they? No. The one time they communicated with us, they got cranky about the mistake instead. They chose outrage, right? The poor honey.

So, here is the tip via the amazing Merriam Webster, to help protect you from people like them:

“Generally, fewer is used when a number of things can be counted ("fewer problems") and less is used when an amount is measured ("less trouble" or "less time"). However, this is not a strict rule and there are accepted instances of less being used with countable amounts such as "250 words or less," "3 items or less," and especially with money ("less than $20") and distance ("less than 3 miles"). Note that in all these cases, the things considered are often thought of as amounts rather than numbers.

“This isn't an example of how modern English is going to the dogs. Less has been used this way for well over a thousand years—nearly as long as there's been a written English language. But for more than 200 years almost every usage writer and English teacher has declared such use to be wrong. The received rule seems to have originated with the critic Robert Baker, who expressed it not as a law but as a matter of personal preference. Somewhere along the way—it's not clear how—his preference was generalized and elevated to an absolute, inviolable rule.”

This graphic is super helpful, too.

But here’s the thing: grammar rules change. Gasp! I know, right? There was once a time when you were supposed to put two spaces after every period. Like this. Wild, right?

Here’s the other thing: It’s great to strive to be better, but often our quest for perfection keeps us from putting out the work, the news story, the art, the ask. Sometimes our worries over messing up keep us from putting anything out there, taking any risk, any chance. It can freeze you into inaction.

And here’s the final thing: If you want to be a good human who builds community, think about why the only time you react, you react with rage. That’s not healthy for your community or your own health. We need you around! Even if you’re a grammar curmudgeon with anger issues, we want you.

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PLACES TO SUBMIT

Plott Hound Magazine

This is “An e-zine for speculative fiction starring animals”. They also accept speculative poetry and essays on these themes. They want

• Stories with anthropomorphized animals as protagonists

• Animal-centric speculative fiction (fantasy, science fiction, horror)

• Underrepresented voices (BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, disabled, neurodivergent) that engage with animal myths, tales, and futures

• Stories with uncommonly written about animals as protagonists-Stories that dig deep into the senses and experience of animals

• Stories that explore the cultures and societies of animals, not just cultures and societies with animals. Think of rabbit language and warren infrastructure in Watership Down, or the clans and warrior code of feral cats in Warriors.” They also accept translations.

Deadline: March 15 2025, so hurry!

Length: Up to 5,000 words for fiction, up to 5 poems, 1,000-2,500 words for nonfiction
Pay: $0.08/word for fiction, $50 for poems, $100 for nonfiction

Details here and here.

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FUN (HOPEFULLY) WRITING PROMPT