Help! The word "fewer" is vanishing from our vocabulary. People are using the word "less" when they mean "fewer", and they seldom say "fewer" at all. It is understandable that young children might mix up these two words, but listen to the news and pay attention to advertising. Newscasters on major networks describe "less people" believing this or that. A luxury carmaker unveils a new model with "less doors". You may chuckle when poor grammar makes an English major cringe, but you should care, too. The English language is wonderful because it can be so precise. When we are sloppy about grammar, we are careless about being clearly understood. These pages invite you to decide when to use "less" and when to use "fewer". Twelve examples are simple and will be especially helpful for children learning our language and for adults needing a little grammar refresher. Six more examples invite you to choose two answers. Enjoy!

Hint: use fewer whenever you are talking about things that can be counted. Use less when talking about things that can be measured by amounts (not numbers). Move your mouse pointer over the question mark to see the correct word.

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© 2013 Jerry Jindrich. All rights reserved. Revised 1/24/2016.