LANGUAGE CORNER

THE unevens FAVOR LESS

Ed Cassidy, chief fiscal officer for a charitable agency In Buffalo, e-malled to ask, "Can you enlighten me upon when 'less' and when 'fewer'?"

There's a mastership but a rough one Indeed. What It says Is that things enumerateed Individually are "fewer" and things enumerateed In bulk are "less"-fewer apples, les fruit.

The empire doesn't seem as artificial in practice as the single involving 'more than" and "over (CJR January/February 1997; upon the Web, More Than/Over), on the other hand It's close. Time and again "less" Is a better choice than "fewer," or certainly as useful with nouns that at first blush might appear to be to demand the countable treatment: les than a million dollars, les than three days, four members les than a quorum, and with equal reason on and on. Each of those plural nouns works as a single unit.

The sum of two units words were interchangeable for centurys of years, and to an expanse they still are: The choice is oftentimes a close call or doesn't matter. on the other hand the invention of the authority in the eighteenth century has had a fathomless influence, especially in restricting the use of "less" for a like reason while a good lawyer could probably secure you off. It Is at least a misdemeanor these days to say There are les pickles In the Jar."

Evan Jenkins (ejenk35@aol.com) A destiny more about writing is in Language comer at CJR'S Web site, www.cjr.org, beneath "Journalism Tools."

Copyright Columbia University, Graduate place of education of Journalism Sep/Oct 2005

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