Fewer

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• fewer — fewer, less As a general guide, fewer is used with plural nouns (fewer books, fewer people) and indicates number, whereas less is used with singular nouns and indicates amount (less money / less happiness). However, there is an extensive no man s …   Modern English usage

• fewer — *less, lesser, smaller …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

• fewer — adjective (comparative of few used with count nouns) quantifier meaning a smaller number of (Freq. 11) fewer birds came this year the birds are fewer this year fewer trains were late • Ant: ↑more • Similar to: ↑l …   Useful english dictionary

• Fewer — Few Few (f[=u]), a. [Compar. {Fewer} (f[=u] [ e]r); superl. {Fewest}.] [OE. fewe, feawe, AS. fe[ a], pl. fe[ a]we; akin to OS. f[=a]h, OHG. f[=o] fao, Icel. f[=a]r, Sw. f[*a], pl., Dan. faa, pl., Goth. faus, L. paucus, cf. Gr. pay^ros. Cf.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

• fewer — /fyooh euhr/, adj. 1. of a smaller number: fewer words and more action. pron. 2. (used with a pl. v.) a smaller number: Fewer have come than we hoped. [ME fewere, OE *feawran. See FEW, ER4] Usage. See less. * * * …   Universalium

• fewer — few•er [[t]ˈfyu ər[/t]] adj. 1) of a smaller number: fewer words and more action[/ex] 2) fun (used with a pl. v.) a smaller number: Fewer have come than we hoped[/ex] • Etymology: ME fewere, OE usage: See less …   From formal English to slang

• fewer — See fewer, less …   Dictionary of problem words and expressions

• fewer / less —    Fewer should be used when talking about things that can be counted: Lureen has fewer ideas than you; also a few keys, few clouds, few values, few diseases.    Less is used when talking about things that can t be counted: Lureen shows less… …   Confused words

• fewer / less —    Fewer should be used when talking about things that can be counted: Lureen has fewer ideas than you; also a few keys, few clouds, few values, few diseases.    Less is used when talking about things that can t be counted: Lureen shows less… …   Confused words

• fewer, less —     In the first four months of the year Rome s tourists were 700,000 less than in the corresponding period last year (Guardian). Probably no other pair of words causes more problems, and with less justification, than less and fewer. The… …   Dictionary of troublesome word

• fewer vs less —   Everyone gets this wrong including native speakers. The general rule is to use fewer for things you can count (individually), and less for things you can only measure   For example:   There were fewer people in the class than usual. (People can …   English dictionary of common mistakes and confusing words