Am I Pedantic or Just Out of Touch?Rants and Raves by Mrs C - April 19, 2011April 19, 2011Which annoying expressions or ‘grammar ‘issues’ get right up your nose? Below are just a few things that irritate the hell out of me…….Like. It’s like really annoying when people like say like all the time. Try like eavesdropping on an excitable bunch of teenage girls next time you’re in Starbucks. Then try and like count the number of ‘likes’. I promise you’ll give up after the first 100….. Aitch. When people say haitch instead of aitch…. ARGHH!! ‘Should have‘ and NOT ‘should of’. This drives me up the wall! Any form of APOSTROPHE ABUSE. A while ago, Tesco had ads running on hoardings all over the country promoting girl’s clothe’s and CD’s and goodness knows what else. I think we counted 5 errant apostrophes in one ad. The worst case of ‘apostrophe abuse’ we have ever encountered was in Windsor. I didn’t think it was possible to have so many mistakes on one sign! And don’t get me started on the less/fewer subject…..
Use fewer if you’re referring to people or things in the plural (e.g. houses, newspapers, dogs, students, children). For example: People these days are buying fewer newspapers. Fewer students are opting to study science-related subjects.Use less when you’re referring to something that can’t be counted or doesn’t have a plural (e.g. money, air, time, music, rain). For example: It’s a better job but they pay you less money. People want to spend less time in traffic jams.Less is also used with numbers when they are on their own and with expressions of measurement or time, e.g.: His weight fell from 15 stone to less than 12. Radyr is less than four miles away from Cardiff city centreMake sense? xxReply
Use fewer if you’re referring to people or things in the plural (e.g. houses, newspapers, dogs, students, children). For example: People these days are buying fewer newspapers. Fewer students are opting to study science-related subjects.Use less when you’re referring to something that can’t be counted or doesn’t have a plural (e.g. money, air, time, music, rain). For example: It’s a better job but they pay you less money. People want to spend less time in traffic jams.Less is also used with numbers when they are on their own and with expressions of measurement or time, e.g.: His weight fell from 15 stone to less than 12. Radyr is less than four miles away from Cardiff city centreMake sense? xxReply
