Less vs. fewer

Micro-lesson for today: Less vs. Fewer!

I know, you’re thinking that this is a little over-the-top, and that these words are interchangeable… well, they aren’t. Since I’m sure you already know the definition, I will just define the difference in how these words should be used:

LESS – use when you can’t count the number of items (qualities and liquids)
FEWER – use when you can count the number of items

I wish she would pay LESS attention to Luke and more to me.
Today, I drank LESS water than I usually do.
I have had FEWER car accidents than you!

Do you know why these are correct?

I have LESS money in the bank than I had hoped I would have by now.
I keep FEWER coins in my purse than before, because they were getting too heavy.

Want to quiz yourself? Here are a few for you to try:

I wish I had eaten LESS/FEWER candy bars.
I wish I had eaten LESS/FEWER ice cream.
It rains in Spain LESS/FEWER than it does in England.
I have LESS/FEWER time than I need to finish my homework.
I will accept ten applications – no more, no LESS/FEWER.

Here are the answers (in reverse):
Fewer, less, less, less, fewer

LAY vs. LIE

This common mistake can really either make you sound totally uneducated or way sophisticated. It is the infamous lay vs. lie. I never understood the difference until I took a Precision Language course in college, and now I cringe every time someone uses these incorrectly.

Rather than giving you the definitions of these words, I’m going to show you the differences:
LAY – done to an object
LIE – done by the subject

Please LAY your paperwork down on the table. (The subject is doing something to something else – there is a direct object.)
I’m going to LIE down for a nap. (The subject is doing the action – no direct object.)

INCORRECT: I’m going to lay out at the pool for a few hours.

See if you can spot the mistakes in this excerpt from Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol:

If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me…

These lyrics should read:

If I LIE here
If I just LIE here
Would you lie with me (they used it correctly :)

Another common problem with these words is that their past tenses and past participles get confused. Let me clear it up for you:

LAY – LAID (past tense) – LAID (past participle)
LIE – LAY (past tense) – LAIN (past participle)

Have you seen my earrings? I LAID them on the table.
Yesterday, I LAY down for a nap.
I HAD LAID my purse on the counter, but now I can’t find it.
I WOULD HAVE LAIN down for a nap, but I was too busy.

NEVER say that someone HAS BEEN LAIN TO REST.

Good luck with this one! It can be hard to remember at first, but once you master it you will sound educated and intelligent.

Than vs. then

This issue may seem small to you, but it really gets on my nerves (I'm guessing it does to plenty of other people, too). I'll keep this short and sweet:

THAN - think amounts (and comparisons)
THEN - think time (and order)

I ate more ice cream THAN you did. She is sweeter THAN her brother.
I went to the movies, and THEN I met him for dinner.

Also, I'm thinking about either putting some of my poetry on this site or starting another for my poetry - any comments?

Update: I started a blog for my poetry (free to view, but feel free to click on an ad). The address is http://emsbookofpoetry.blogspot.com.

If you ever have any grammar questions, leave a comment! If you leave your e-mail address, I can get back to you immediately. If you would rather not share your e-mail, I can put the answer to your question up here on the site. You can also leave me feedback about the posts I already have up, or you can make suggestions for posts that you would like to see on my site.

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