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To: 1rudeboy

Less and fewer.

Ahem! I think that the wording of the ad is actually correct. Less is for non-discrete amounts: less salt, less water, less courage. Fewer is for discrete items: fewer grains, fewer bottles of water, fewer people.

Measures of distance and time, for example, are arbitrary measures on a scale, not discrete (counted) items. So, I would argue, we would refer to less time, and also time less than a certain measure (whether in days, hours, minutes, &c.) In measuring time, one is not counting discrete lumps or objects, but merely points on a continuous scale.


23 posted on 06/24/2012 4:31:08 AM PDT by docbnj
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To: docbnj
less time, fewer minutes

But I see your point. I will spend the day pondering it (only because I'm working a booth at a show today, and I will be bored).

24 posted on 06/24/2012 4:42:27 AM PDT by 1rudeboy
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