10 Items or …

Next time you’re at the grocery store (unless, of course, you’re a delivery or drive-up devotee), take a gander at the sign looming over the self-checkout. Odds are, it’s flaunting the word “less.” Welcome to the muddied waters of these two grammatical gremlins. 

The quick and dirty (but not always spot-on) rule for the commonly confused Less vs. Fewer is this: If you can’t count it, go with ‘less’ (think less stress, less air, less fun—less of the things that don’t require you to whip out your fingers). However, if you can count it, ‘fewer’ is your word (like fewer eggs, fewer chickens, fewer calories—all the things you can tally up on a calculator).

Let’s crack a few eggs with these practice sentences:
I need less/fewer sleep. (Psst, this is a fib!)
Belinda has less/fewer chickens than three years ago. (Also a tall tale!)
During the winter, there are less/fewer tourists at the beach. (Cold, hard fact!)
This checkout lane is for 10 items or less/fewer. (Here’s the pop quiz… which is it??)

Of course, every rule has its party crashers. Here’s a rundown of them:

1. Money – dollars, cents, euros, etc. (The price of gas is $1.00 less at that other station.)
2. Distance – miles, inches, meters, kilometers, etc. (We have less than 20 miles to go.)
3. Time & Weight – minutes, hours, days, years, ounces, pounds, etc. (You’ve got less than 12 hours to submit that masterpiece.)
4. Statistical information – percentages, 25,000 people (Less than 50 fans were at the concert.)

Fewer people are using ‘fewer’ these days. (Or should I say, it’s used less and less? No, it’s definitely fewer and fewer!) 

“When I own less, fewer things go wrong and need to be fixed.” ~ Lisa Shultz

Somebody Laid An Egg!

I legit received this in an email last week from a well-known copywriter…

Needless to say, I was cracking up! 😂 “Sinners” in Washington, DC, isn’t a stretch, but not sure the other state “winners” wanted to be called out as such! Wrong word + correct spelling = no spellcheck notice.

I help readers focus on your message… not your mistakes!

Thanks for reading (and sharing!)

It’s clucking great that some phrases are multipurpose… take “take out,” for example. And you gotta love the praying mantis comment 🦗

And, btw, the #jollychickens gotta eat… and contrary to popular belief, chicken scratch ain’t cheap (neither is Friday night take-out pizza and Dr. Pepper), so I appreciate referrals! 🍕🥤

About Us

“Us” is me, Jennie Jolly – the Diva of Diction… the Empress of Editing… the Mistress of Manuscripts! (I’m not bragging because ChatGPT gave me those titles!)

I solve one big problem for my clients: I keep their message edited, elevated, and effective by providing excellent editing + proofreading + content & copywriting services. A well-edited piece is as satisfying as a coop full of contented hens! So, step into my henhouse, shake off the dust, and let me help you cultivate your best writing yet.

Don’t be chicken… let’s chat!

Learn more about my services here.