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ImageSMART TALK

by Dr. Dot Pilcrow




FEWER/LESS: Most of the staff of the Center for English as a First Language shops for groceries out of town. We like to support local businesses, but the Need2Feed here in Underbelly has a register for "12 ITEMS OR LESS," which, of course, violates the language and frustrates the work we do. We go down the road to Los Libidos, where the Hagman's grocery's express register says 12 ITEMS OR FEWER. We hope to give the Need2Feed a financial incentive to use English as if it were their first language.

Some folks just never grasped the fact that less refers to quantity, not numbers. You use more or less fuel, not fewer fuel, depending upon your speed.

But when you can actually count something, you use more or fewer. A smaller car might seat one person fewer, not one less person. Less time is fewer hours. Less distance is fewer miles.

That's why we shop at Hagman's, in spite of the distance and higher prices. We have our self respect.

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