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

Redeem
TTP OnDemand GMAT Video Course
Featured Course

Target Test Prep GMAT OnDemand

Scott Woodbury-Stewart’s private virtual classroom — 400 hours of master-class video lessons for the GMAT Focus Edition.

  • 715+ score guarantee — highest in the industry (99th percentile)
  • 52 chapters · 1,500+ lessons · 4,000+ practice questions
  • 400 hours of video · 1,500+ instructor-led HD smartboard lessons
  • 300,000+ students accepted to Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Booth & Sloan & more
  • 24/7 live support + weekly Zoom office hours with GMAT instructors
  • TTP AI Assist — 24/7 AI-powered virtual tutor for instant help
  • 1,200+ flashcards + AI-powered study assistant & daily calendar
  • OnDemand, LiveTeach & GMAT Bootcamp formats available
  • Also: GRE, SAT Math & Executive Assessment courses
  • MBA Admissions Consulting now available
  • 🏆 2025 EdTech Breakthrough Award: Test Prep Solution Provider of the Year
  • 200,000+ students served
  • 5-day free trial — $0 to start, no auto-billing, cancel anytime
★★★★★ 5.0 (559 reviews)
130-pt guarantee
$0 to start then $127/mo
Start Free 5-Day Trial Read 559 Reviews →

Fewer vs. less

Expert replies
Post new topic Locked
Previous Topic Next Topic
User avatar
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 114
Joined: Fri Oct 08, 2010 10:35 amFollowed by: 2 members
Location: TASHKENT
Thanked: 8 times
GMAT Score:640
by hoji » Tue Nov 08, 2011 2:39 pm
1) there are fewer than one-quarter of that amount;
2) With a total population of less than two hundred.

What is difference between the two? why is "fewer" used in the first example, whereas "less" in the second?

PS: I know that the rule sounds: "Less" can also be used for sum of money, periods of time and distance, numerical and statistical data.

if we assume that the rule is always right, then the two are the same to me!
What do you say BTGers?
I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of a man to elevate his life by conscious endeavor.
Henry David Thoreau.

Sleep GMAT, eat GMAT, beat GMAT!
______________________________
Quant ----> 51
Verbal----> 44+
GMAT ----> 750+
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Source: — Sentence Correction |
User avatar
GMAT Instructor
Posts: 1035
Joined: Fri Dec 17, 2010 11:13 amFollowed by: 365 members
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Thanked: 474 times

by VivianKerr » Tue Nov 08, 2011 6:45 pm
"fewer" can be used because it refers to the countable 1/4.

"less" modifies "two hundred" which is a singular number.

If we added a plural noun such as "persons", we could say "fewer than two hundred persons."
Vivian Kerr
GMAT Rockstar, Tutor
https://www.GMATrockstar.com
https://www.yelp.com/biz/gmat-rockstar-los-angeles

Former Kaplan and Grockit instructor, freelance GMAT content creator, now offering affordable, effective, Skype-tutoring for the GMAT at $150/hr. Contact: [email protected]

Thank you for all the "thanks" and "follows"! :-)
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
User avatar
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 114
Joined: Fri Oct 08, 2010 10:35 amFollowed by: 2 members
Location: TASHKENT
Thanked: 8 times
GMAT Score:640

by hoji » Tue Nov 08, 2011 9:33 pm
@ Vivian, What do you say about: "your essay should be a thousand words or less."
My confusion is :

- the town spent less than four percent of its budget on snow removal;
- the town has a population of fewer than one quarter of 4000 people.

these two examples look like quite the same to me. how can i distinguish between two?
I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of a man to elevate his life by conscious endeavor.
Henry David Thoreau.

Sleep GMAT, eat GMAT, beat GMAT!
______________________________
Quant ----> 51
Verbal----> 44+
GMAT ----> 750+
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Post new topic Locked
• Page 1 of 1