Comment on [deleted]
YoBuckStopsHere@lemmy.world 2 years ago
Downvoting has far less meaning on lemmy so there are far less downvotes.
Comment on [deleted]
YoBuckStopsHere@lemmy.world 2 years ago
Downvoting has far less meaning on lemmy so there are far less downvotes.
SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world 2 years ago
Fewer
Maddie@sh.itjust.works 2 years ago
Excrubulent@slrpnk.net 2 years ago
“Fewer” is correct, but it’s wrong to correct “less” to “fewer”. Why? Because language isn’t dictated by an authority, it is negotiated theough billions of interactions every day.
People say “less” to refer to countable objects and nobody is confused by it, so it is valid communication. Just because you had some English teacher mark you down for it in middle school doesn’t mean it’s wrong. You were just miseducated.
Even if we’re talking about strict technical semantics, 5 is less than 7. The < symbol is not called the “fewer than” symbol. “Less” can encompass the concept of “fewer”, so either is fine.
can@sh.itjust.works 2 years ago
See: “10 items or less”
Rentlar@lemmy.ca 2 years ago
www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGWiTvYZR_w
SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world 2 years ago
The “less than” symbol is not limited to whole numbers.
Excrubulent@slrpnk.net 2 years ago
Does it change its name to “fewer than” when it is used for whole numbers?