tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935192303176811210.post3545092689483129569..comments2023-10-21T08:52:45.549-07:00Comments on Friends of Epicaricacy: Less practice errorsKallehhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14626787126837500623noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935192303176811210.post-3455704557738885092008-05-19T11:16:00.000-07:002008-05-19T11:16:00.000-07:00There are circumstances where the two words are in...There are circumstances where the two words are interchangeable. For example, I think it is quite acceptable to say "there are fewer birds here than there were yesterday," or "there are less birds here than there were yesterday." <BR/><BR/>In your example, however, there was an implication of an on-going process, and I would contend that only fewer fits a description of a gradually diminishing amount.Shoshana's Closethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12432271060148904324noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935192303176811210.post-21351026193934939872008-05-12T20:31:00.000-07:002008-05-12T20:31:00.000-07:00Yes, I suppose you're right, goofy.Shoshana, we ta...Yes, I suppose you're right, goofy.<BR/><BR/>Shoshana, we talk about prescriptivism a lot on Wordcraft. To me it means that one thinks grammar rules are black or white, similar to Strunk and White's cookbook approach to writing. That is, never end a sentence with a preposition; never start a sentence with a conjunction; strict comma and semicolon rules; etc. When someone errs, then you berate him backwards and forwards. <BR/><BR/>I do wonder, though, if "fewer" and "less" really should be interchangeable. You make a good point, Shoshana. I do think there is an important difference.Kallehhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14626787126837500623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935192303176811210.post-38845128611989186902008-05-12T07:52:00.000-07:002008-05-12T07:52:00.000-07:00I agree that it doesn't make you a prescriptivist....I agree that it doesn't make you a prescriptivist. In fact, I'm not entirely sure what you mean when you use that term to describe yourself.<BR/><BR/>I cannot agree that fewer and less are interchangeable. Fewer holds the implication of change, the continuing decline in errors. As the RNs get better they will make fewer errors, not just once but over time. Less is rooted in time, it is a "now" descriptor if you will.decreasing number of errors.Shoshana's Closethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12432271060148904324noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935192303176811210.post-71118868367653779242008-05-12T07:21:00.000-07:002008-05-12T07:21:00.000-07:00That doesn't make you a prescriptivist. Maybe it j...That doesn't make you a prescriptivist. Maybe it just means your dialect has different determiner constraints. <BR/><BR/>Now if you wrote a book about it, complaining how this use of "less" is causing society to go to hell, that would be different. :)goofyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14760721504519661112noreply@blogger.com