August 15, 2006

PH2: Less and Fewer — Don’t Learn to Write by TV

ME Liz Strauss wrote this at 8:16 am

TV Has It Wrong

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Language is a changing thing. The changes first happen in conversation and eventually they become accepted in written language as well. That’s what happened with that old rule Don’t finish a sentence with a preposition.

Power Hits prove that not everything you see in print, hear in a song, or watch on TV are correct.

In this case, two words the mass media can’t seem to get right are less and fewer. So let’s settle that matter once and for all.

Count and Noncount Nouns

You probably learned that a noun is a person, place, or thing, But I’m guessing that count and noncount nouns might be new terms to you. They’re what you might expect them to be.

Things you can count: pencils, tables, trees, and computers are all count nouns.

Things that you can’t count: coffee, sky, love, and values are noncount nows.

The correct use is:

I have more or fewer count nouns.
I have more pencils. I have fewer pencils.

I have more or less noncount nouns.
I have more coffee. I have less coffee.

So that the beer commercial should say

More taste, fewer calories.

Guess the ad agency didn’t have a copyeditor.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

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PWH 1: I Versus Me
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12 Comments to “PH2: Less and Fewer — Don’t Learn to Write by TV”

  1. August 15th, 2006 at 8:43 am
    Rete said

    Yes! That has always bugged me… along with the there, their, they’re and your, you’re issues. Make a mistake with those and it changes your whole meaning.

  2. August 15th, 2006 at 8:47 am
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Rete,
    This is one that only until recently wasn’t highlighted well enough in American schools. It’s out there now. Hopefully that will help. :)

  3. August 15th, 2006 at 9:20 am
    Scorpia said

    Good for you, Liz. We need (heh) more of this.

    So, I recommend to all this book:

    The Dictionary of Disagreeable English by Robert Hartwell Fiske. If you care about writing with precision and correctness, this one should be on your shelf…. and consulted often.

  4. August 15th, 2006 at 9:23 am
    ME Strauss said

    Thank you Scorpia.
    We love recommendations that make us all well equipped to face the language dragons. :)

  5. August 15th, 2006 at 12:41 pm
    Scorpia said

    Liz, recommendations are good, but acting on them is better. So let me know what you think of the book when you get it ;)

  6. August 15th, 2006 at 1:18 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Thanks, Scorpia. I will with my next Amazon order. ‘)

  7. August 15th, 2006 at 1:39 pm
    Big Roy said

    I am always looking for books on writing. I may order the book by Mr. Fiske. I saw on Amazon he recommends a website at http://www.vocabula.com/ .

    With beer drinkers after the first few grammatical errors they pretty much all sound alike.

  8. August 15th, 2006 at 3:47 pm
    ME Strauss said

    HI Roy!
    I wuold guess that beer drinkers write by ear. :)

  9. August 15th, 2006 at 6:46 pm
    Scorpia said

    If they write by ear, does that mean they drink by nose? ;)

    As I recall, the vocabula site is run by Mr. Fiske, which could be why he recommends it. Heh.

  10. August 15th, 2006 at 6:51 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Hey, Scorpia,
    As we know in the freelance world, there’s nothing wrong with self-promotion. :)

  11. August 15th, 2006 at 9:57 pm
    Caryn said

    Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!!! This bugs me to no end as well. What about that rule is so dang complex that people are incapable of understanding it? And don’t even get me started on the other grammar mistakes I see everywhere.

    Okay. Mini-rant over. :-)

  12. August 15th, 2006 at 10:01 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Caryn,
    You’re welcome. 32 welcomes. I really think that this one is one that has never been explained to most people. Count and noncount nouns is a realitvely new terminology as far as I know in American textbooks and so maybe folks just had nothing to hang it on.

    Who can explain it. Email me the other ones you want me to make a post about. I’ll be glad to set them out here. I know a few, but maybe not all of the ones that you see.

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