Is it 10 items or less or 10 items or fewer?
“10 items or less” is not correct! This is wrong – it should be “10 items or fewer” because “items” is a countable noun. This goes to show you that even native English speakers sometimes break the rules of English grammar!
What is the 10 items or less rule?
(It’s like the principle of common usage, but in reverse.) That’s a (sort of) reasonable stance, but I don’t think that accepting this rule rules out 10 items or less. Countability is gradient….“10 items or less” is just fine.
| Google hits for | less X | fewer X |
|---|---|---|
| Y objects | 17,200 | 27,100 |
Is 12 items or less grammatically correct?
“12 items or fewer” is correct/standard and “12 items or less” is incorrect/non-standard though common. It sounds common to me too. Less should only be used for non-countable nouns, so “less water”, “less time” but “fewer apples” and “fewer people”. “a glass of water or less” would be correct.
Is a few less than 10?
It has never been used of a definite number, unlike couple: from the very beginning, few was used of a comparatively small number. The key word here is comparatively. In neither case can you definitely say that few refers to a number between, say, 3 and 10.
Should you say less or fewer?
‘Fewer’ and ‘Less’ It goes like this: fewer is used to refer to number among things that are counted, as in “fewer choices” and “fewer problems”; less is used to refer to quantity or amount among things that are measured, as in “less time” and “less effort.”
When should I use less or fewer?
‘Fewer’ and ‘Less’ Generally, fewer is used when the number of things is counted (“fewer problems”) whereas less is used when the number is measured (“less trouble” or “less time”).
How do you use less grammar?
Less means a smaller amount or “not as much” and is used when describing singular or uncountable nouns. Fewer is defined as not as much and is used when describing plural or countable nouns.
What is the grammatical difference between less and fewer?
It goes like this: fewer is used to refer to number among things that are counted, as in “fewer choices” and “fewer problems”; less is used to refer to quantity or amount among things that are measured, as in “less time” and “less effort.”
Is very less grammatically correct?
“Very less” is incorrect. “Very little” or “much less” would be possible alternatives. Some examples of how both phrases could be used: I paid very little for this jacket.