BREAKING: Target Test Prep releases Brand New 2026 On Demand GMAT prep course

Redeem

Use of 'Less' in SC

This topic has expert replies
Post new topic Locked
Previous Topic Next Topic
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 109
Joined: Sun Oct 21, 2012 5:10 am
Followed by:1 members

Use of 'Less' in SC

by psm12se » Tue Aug 27, 2013 11:06 am
While going through the beatthegmat flashcards, I came across usage of "Less" in SC. It gave below three examples;

1. It's less than 35 miles to San Francisco.
2. We spent less than $100.
3. The town spent less than 95% of its budget.

I am confused with point 1 & 2. I thought instead of 'less' word it should have been 'fewer'

Please can one put light on these sentences.
Top
Source: — Sentence Correction |

GMAT/MBA Expert

User avatar
GMAT Instructor
Posts: 2095
Joined: Tue Dec 04, 2012 3:22 pm
Thanked: 1443 times
Followed by:247 members

by ceilidh.erickson » Tue Aug 27, 2013 11:16 am
Generally speaking, "fewer" should refer to countable (or pluralizable) items (fewer items, fewer books), while "less" should refer to things that can't be counted/pluralized (less water, less stuff).

In the examples you've mentioned, there is a slight change in meaning between using "fewer" vs. "less." You're correct in thinking that we could say "it's fewer than 35 miles to San Francisco." Miles can be counted, so we could say "fewer." This would place the emphasis on the numerical value of the miles... and it might imply that the miles would have to be in exact, whole numbers. When we use "less" in this context, it implies that we're focusing less on the numerical count of miles, and more on the idea of a whole distance. A distance would be an uncountable entity: "the distance is less than 30 miles."

Similarly, in the second example "fewer" would be technically correct if we were comparing exact, countable numbers of dollars. Generally when we talk about money, though, we talk about comparing whole amounts: "The amount of money we spent is less than $100."

We're more likely to think of "35 miles" and "$100" as expressions of distance and amount, respectively, than as exact counts of miles or dollars. So you're not wrong... but neither are these examples.

Does that make sense?
Ceilidh Erickson
EdM in Mind, Brain, and Education
Harvard Graduate School of Education
Top
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 109
Joined: Sun Oct 21, 2012 5:10 am
Followed by:1 members

by psm12se » Sat Aug 31, 2013 7:30 am
Many thanks @ceilidh.erickson

In our daily conversation, we do say "distance is less than 35 miles" and "we spent less than $100" rather than "distance is fewer than 35 miles" and "we spent fewer than $100".

I was trying to use the grammar rules in these sentences, but I suppose we need to focus on the complete sentence as well.
Top
Post new topic Locked
• Page 1 of 1