fewer vs less

@McTag,

What I would like Mac, wanting is a bit strong, is that an expression like "subtlety of meaning" requires an explanation going beyond how intellectual its usage at coffee mornings sounds. Expostulating on the "subtlety of meaning, does not necessarily imply that there is any.

There were less kisses forthcoming tonight and fewer than the night before and I've only been married two days. Is that crude or subtle?

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@McTag,

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But my advice here is not from any style manual, just from experience, interest and commonsense.

You see where that has led --->>> PRESCRIPTIVISM, which is another word for lack of experience, interest in little more than making a buck, and little common sense.

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By the way, The Guardian has a house style manual. Maybe we should all get a copy, and synchronise.

With no rancor, my guess is that you said this with your cheek out to your ear --that's a crazy idea. We don't speak like newspapers, nor do we all speak like Brits, hell even Scots don't do that, do they?

Why should we be giving EFLs the idea that they have to speak like the queen giving her Xmas greeting? Even the queen doesn't speak like the Guardian.

From just a brief glance, it looks like you made a right smart purchase, McTag. Had you bought this a few years ago, you could have been the one to set Setanta, Clary and Kitchen Pete straight in the Peeves thread. Smile

Where is that guy anywoo?

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And Steve and Lord Ellpus? Two damn funny guys!

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@JTT,

So more or less fewer muchly prefer fewer than prefer less and if the lesser preference for fewer becomes less and lesser then the fewer will become more few unless more of fewer and less of less is used in language muchly such as this.

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@JTT,

Steve's computer blew up, and he hasn't got time to bandy words with the likes of you. Or me. Lord Ellpus is still around, if you look hard enough.

Setanta, Clary and Pierre de le Cuisine are revered icons, who have forgotten more English than you have ever learnt. Anyway, the Peeves thread is for fun, not foaming at the mouth.

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@spendius,

Quote:

There were less kisses forthcoming tonight and fewer than the night before and I've only been married two days. Is that crude or subtle?

Ungrammatical in my book. Tautological too, if you read it twice. (see what I did there?)

If you say something is "less", your statement could have various interpretations, and you may require the listener to use the context to select the meaning you want.
If you say some quantity (which can be counted) is "fewer", then the meaning is clear and unambiguous. It means the number is less.

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@McTag,

Quote:

Setanta, Clary and Pierre de le Cuisine are revered icons, who have forgotten more English than you have ever learnt.

Pete was a nice guy, fair, quick to admit the nonsense in prescriptions when he was shown the light. Clary was nice but she was grammatically clueless, a modern day Strunk or White.

Setanta, his advice on language speaks for itself. As a person, ... well even that's a stretch.

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@McTag,

There were less kisses forthcoming tonight and fewer than the night before and I've only been married two days.

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Ungrammatical in my book.

Could you describe what your book says that makes it ungrammatical, McTag.

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Tautological too, if you read it twice. (see what I did there?)

No.

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If you say something is "less", your statement could have various interpretations, and you may require the listener to use the context to select the meaning you want.
If you say some quantity (which can be counted) is "fewer", then the meaning is clear and unambiguous. It means the number is less.

Imagine that! People using context to discern meaning. Like when has that ever happened?

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@laughoutlood,

Excellent lol. I like to see some effort put into literary expression. I'm not much bothered about the sense of it.

One might apply your sentence to government regulations but I am unable to decide if it would favour less of them or otherwise.

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