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Homerfarmsby Posted 16 years ago
Grammar

Fewer than/less than -- 2

Is this correct with "fewer than/less than"?

Fewer than one in twenty in the U.S. eat enough whole grains, but less than 10 percent eat collared greens.
  

Top answer

Search our forums, here's an example: From Merriam-Webster: The traditional view is that less applies to matters of degree, value, or amount and modifies collective nouns, mass nouns, or nouns denoting an abstract whole while fewer applies to matters of number and modifies plural nouns. Less has been used to modify plural nouns since the days of King Alfred and the usage, though roundly decried, appears to be increasing. Less is more likely than fewer to modify plural nouns when distances, sums of money, and a few fixed phrases are involved <less than 100 miles> <an investment of less than $2000> <in 25 words or less> and as likely as fewer to modify periods of time <in less (or fewer) than four hours>.

— Kooyeen

  • Search our forums, here's an example: From Merriam-Webster: The traditional view is that less applies to matters of degree, value, or amount and modifies collective nouns, mass nouns, or nouns denoting an abstract whole while fewer applies to matters of number and modifies plural nouns.
  • Less has been used to modify plural nouns since the days of King Alfred and the usage, though roundly decried, appears to be increasing.
  • Less is more likely than fewer to modify plural nouns when distances, sums of money, and a few fixed phrases are involved <less than 100 miles> <an investment of less than $2000> <in 25 words or less> and as likely as fewer to modify periods of time <in less (or fewer) than four hours>.
  • com/fewer : The traditional rule holds that fewer should be used for things that can be counted (fewer than four players), while less should be used with mass terms for things of measurable extent (less paper; less than a gallon of paint).
  • However, less is used in some constructions where fewer would occur if the traditional rule were being followed.
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2 Answers
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Search our forums, here's an example:

From Merriam-Webster:

The traditional view is that less applies to matters of degree, value, or amount and modifies collective nouns, mass nouns, or nouns denoting an abstract whole while fewer applies to matters of number and modifies plural nouns. Less has been used to modify plural nouns since the days of King Alfred and the usage, t
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homerfarmsbybut less than 10 percent eat collared greens.
Assuming you are not talking about greens which are wearing collars, it's collardgreens.
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