Which sounds more right?
"This conference call line has less than three people on it."
"This conference call line has fewer than three people on it."
Mal: That's not what I saw. You like to tell me what really happened? Book: I surely would. And maybe someday I will.
'Safe'
Natter 65: Speed Limit Enforced by Aircraft
Off-topic discussion. Wanna talk about corsets, pandas, duct tape, or physics? This is the place. Detailed discussion of any current-season TV must be whitefonted.
§ ita § - Mar 03, 2010 11:56:44 am PST #12924 of 30001
Well not canonically, no, but this is transformative fiction.
Dana - Mar 03, 2010 11:57:48 am PST #12925 of 30001
I haven't trusted science since I saw the film "Flubber."
Fewer. Less than refers to degrees, fewer refers to number.
tommyrot - Mar 03, 2010 11:58:05 am PST #12926 of 30001
Sir, it's not an offence to let your cat eat your bacon. Okay? And we don't arrest cats, I'm very sorry.
Fewer. That's what you use for discrete items.
eta: inevitable x-post. stop trying to evit it.
Kat - Mar 03, 2010 11:58:15 am PST #12927 of 30001
"I keep to a strict diet of ill-advised enthusiasm and heartfelt regret." Leigh Bardugo
My class phone only takes in school calls and I always answer, "Good Morning, this is Kathryn Blah Blah Blah"
Polter-Cow - Mar 03, 2010 11:58:44 am PST #12928 of 30001
What else besides ramen can you scoop? YOU CAN SCOOP THIS WORLD FROM DARKNESS!
Fewer. That's what you use for discrete items.
Brown paper bags are what you use for discreet items.
smonster - Mar 03, 2010 11:58:50 am PST #12929 of 30001
We won’t stop until everyone is gay.
I answer with department name, my first name, and if I'm answering our customer service line, "can I help you?"
meara - Mar 03, 2010 11:59:24 am PST #12930 of 30001
Fewer than three people. People are countable.
Of course, xpost. Note from linguistics friend when she told us about this--apparently in Russian, bread is countable. As in you can have three bread (vs here you have to have loaves of bread or slices or kinds or?) I guess. Or maybe just in a less vs fewer way. Dunno.
tommyrot - Mar 03, 2010 12:01:02 pm PST #12931 of 30001
Sir, it's not an offence to let your cat eat your bacon. Okay? And we don't arrest cats, I'm very sorry.
Hil R. - Mar 03, 2010 12:02:12 pm PST #12932 of 30001
Sometimes I think I might just move up to Vermont, open a bookstore or a vegan restaurant. Adam Schlesinger, z''l
If you'd ask "how many?" then it's "fewer." If you'd ask "how much?" then it's "less."
Daisy Jane - Mar 03, 2010 12:02:17 pm PST #12933 of 30001
"This bar smells like kerosene and stripper tears."
Or alien face-sucker. Whichever.