And Furthermore...

Grammar and phrases like “spatial relationships” and “extension of time” rarely intersect, but when they do, they send sticklers for accuracy into a complete tizzy. “Can you believe she wrote ‘more than’ when she meant ‘over’?” I’ll get asked by an exasperated colleague. “Oh. My. God. He said it was ‘less’ when he meant ‘fewer.’ Is there, like, a remedial class I can send him to?” That’s a surprisingly common question. (My response? If he can’t write, why’d you hire him?)     The differences between more than and over and less and fewer and, while we’re on the subject, further and farther, are real. And it’s best when they’re used properly, according to the rules we mostly learned back around third grade. That said, lots of people are pretty relaxed about their use – some experts even think the anal retentive among us worry too much (note to experts: that’s what anal retentive people do – they worry). I fall somewhere in between. Strive to get them right. Be generous in attitude when correcting someone else. Remember everyone is fallible.     further/farther Further is a quantity in concept – an extension of time or degree: “After delving further into the research, he made his recommendations.” Farther refers to a physical distance – “He ran farther than ever before.” over/more than Over indicates a spatial relationship: “The hot air balloon drifted over the canyon during sunset.” More than is more about things that can be counted, either in the concrete or abstract: “Harrison made more than $50 at the garage sale,” not “Harrison made over $50 at the garage sale.”   fewer/less This is easy: use fewer for things you can count, less for things you can’t. “Bardo said fewer than 10 people showed up, making it a less successful event than expected." (You can count people, you can’t count expectations.)

Comments

[Chris Frumplington]

Some things annoy me more than others. Further/farther is a lost cause these days. Over and 'more than' likewise. 'Less' versus 'fewer' does irritate me, more so when the error is made by, say, a BBC newsreader or reporter than if it's a 'mere' blogger getting things wrong. It's all a question of context, isn't it? But that's not to say we shouldn't have high expectations where it is most important.

My pet hate at the moment is people who confuse 'ground' with 'floor'. They talk about, for example, a footballer who was subject to a flying tackle and fell injured to the floor. Don't they realise that floors are indoors and the ground is outdoors? Grrr!

[Jules]

I can’t express how happy I am to find a resource that is so comprehensive in addressing many of the mistakes I see on a daily basis. I feel like a child in a candy shop. I think I will be spending a lot of time here. Thank you for the great work you are doing.