Comments on: “One fewer” or “one less?” – A definitive answer

By: Paul

Paul — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 02:24:50 +0000

Not so sure here. Seems like a bit of a slippery slope when we accept “one less” over “one fewer” for things we can count. It’s a short hop to “two less” items or “15 items or less” at the grocers (whoops…we’re already there). And then we’re off to the races. Fewer will be tossed in the junk heap next to “between you and I,” “data” as a singular and “If I would have known about….”

By: Tim

Tim — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 19:53:15 +0000

“If there was ever a rule” is correct, because it’s not a counterfactual conditional: the writer entertains the possibility that there really was a rule. (Contrast with “If I were you” where everyone knows that I am not you.)

I am very grateful for this article and the research, and impressed by it too. I too arrived at it really wanting to know the answer to this question, or rather, to back up my strong feeling that “one less” was correct.

By: Bill

Bill — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 19:49:51 +0000

Although “one fewer” is used some of the time, “one less” is the most common.
Grammatically it should be “the more common” as it is a comparison between two choices!!
I can be such a pain in the ****! ;)

By: Rich

Rich — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 21:45:53 +0000

Thanks – I was trying to figure this out for a letter I’m writing and this perfectly addressed my quandary.

By: Amanda

Amanda — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 17:41:56 +0000

No, Phil is right! I don’t know where commas are supposed to go, and I am a horrible speller. But, I know subjunctive mood when I see it!

Was should be were, “If it WERE ever a rule, then its time is up,” because the opening clause is in the subjunctive mood. My favorite tense!

If we knew for sure that it was a rule, then we should use was. If we do not know if it was a rule or not, we use were. Some people also call it the verb you use when conveying a sentence contrary to fact – a longing for a different reality. For example, “if I were a rich man,” which I’m not. I’m a woman. =)

By: Henry

Henry — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 20:31:20 +0000

My head says “one fewer present” is correct grammatically (if you can count it, it’s usually “fewer”), but my gut says “one present less”.

I wouldn’t use either phrase; I prefer ‘one present fewer’.

However, despite any rules or conventions, I admit that ultimately the English language is a democracy.

By: Neal

Neal — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 16:24:47 +0000

What a superb blog post and set of comments! After reading the post itself–thank you very much for the thorough research and the efficient reporting thereof–I thought it’d be fun for there to be the following comment:

(Beginning of the comment I thought I’d make)
The post states, “If it was ever a rule then its time is up.” In light of this post’s subject–one less versus one fewer–one might want to say something like, “If it was ever a rule, then there’s now one less–even if some hoping to be purists might prefer to say there’s now one fewer.”
(end of that comment)

Following etiquette, and in keeping with possibly the only thing I recall from studying the history of invention (that being, oftentimes more than one person or team comes up with a given idea), I first read the comments, to see if anyone else had posted such a comment. (Nope.) In so doing, I received a substantial benefit beyond the already superb level of the one less versus one fewer content: the comments regarding was versus were.

Thank you, to Danny for the post, to the three was/were commenters (including Danny), and, for expressing gratitude or additional questions, to the other commenters. At another time, I’ll probably have a look–or perhaps I should say, I probably will have a look–at this site’s other offerings.

By: mangostein

mangostein — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 12:25:56 +0000

how about “one fewer” when it does not refer to anything explicitly. as in this example…

Q.
Are all the fruit still in the bowl?

A.
No, there is one less apple
No, there is one fewer

p.s. @phil: actually there’s no comma in an if-then construction!