2020-10-29
ศัพท์ น่าสับสน ชุด L – Least & less & lest & fewer
การใช้ภาษาอังกฤษ ที่ถือว่า ถูกต้อง นี้ เป็นไป ตามมาตรฐาน ของภาษา
การใช้ภาษาอังกฤษ ไม่กำหนดมาตฐาน ถือตามส่วนใหญ่ที่ใช้แต่ละท้องถิ่น
ความหมาย อาจยืดหยุ่น ขึ้นอยู่กับ ตำแหน่ง/หน้าที่ ในประโยค
Dictionary.com
ออกเสียง Least = ‘LEEST’
ออกเสียง less = ‘LES’
ออกเสียง lest = ‘LEST’
ออกเสียง fewer = ‘FYOO-er’
Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree
fewer
of a smaller number: He said the same thing, but in fewer words.
Not to be confused with:
less – to a smaller extent, amount, or degree:
He was less than courteous.
[Few and fewer should be used only before a plural:
a few cookies remained; fewer people attended.
Less should modify only singular nouns: less money, less courage.
When a plural noun suggests a combination into a unit, less is used:
less than fifteen cents (a sum of money); less than fifteen miles (a unit of distance); less sugar (a mass noun).]
Dictionary.com
WORDS OFTEN CONFUSED WITH LESS
Even though less has been used beforeplural nouns (less words; less men) since the time of King Alfred, many modern usage guides say that only fewer can be used in such contexts.
Less, they say, should modify singular massnouns (less sugar; less money) and singular abstract nouns (less honesty; less love).
It should modify plural nouns only when they suggest combination into a unit, group, or aggregation:
less than $50 (a sum of money); less than three miles (a unit of distance).
With plural nouns specifying individuals or readily distinguishable units, the guides say that fewer is the only proper choice:
fewer words; fewer men; no fewer than 31 of the 50 states.
Modern standard English practice does not reflect this distinction.
When followed by than, less occurs at least as often as fewer in modifying plural nouns that are not units or groups, and the use of less in this construction is increasing in all varieties of English:
less than eight million people; no less than 31 of the 50 states.
When not followed by than, fewer is more frequent only in formal written English, and in this construction also the use of less is increasing:
This year we have had less crimes, less accidents, and less fires than in any of the last five years.
BRITISH DICTIONARY DEFINITIONS FOR LESS
USAGE FOR LESS
Less should not be confused with fewer.
Less refers strictly only to quantityand not to number:
there is less water than before.
Fewer means smaller in number: there are fewer people than before
Merriam-Webster Dictionary
Less vs. Fewer: Usage Guide
Adjective
The traditional view is that
less applies to matters of degree, value, or amount and modifies collective nouns, mass nouns, or nouns denoting an abstract whole
while fewer applies to matters of number and modifies plural nouns.
Less has been used to modify plural nouns since the days of King Alfred and the usage, though roundly decried, appears to be increasing.
Less is more likely than fewer to modify plural nouns
when distances, sums of money, and a few fixed phrases are involved
less than 100 miles
an investment of less than $2000
in 25 words or less
and as likely as fewer to modify periods of time.
in less (or fewer) than four hours
Merriam-Webster Dictionary
Usage Notes
'Fewer' and 'Less'
We all want fewer problems and less trouble with fewer and less
What to Know
Generally, fewer is used whenthe number of things is counted (fewer problems) whereas less is used when the number is measured (less trouble or less time).
However, this is not a hard rule and there are accepted instances of "less" being used with countable amounts
such as "250 words or less," "3 items or less"
and especially with money (less than $20) and distance (less than 3 miles).
There's a commonly repeated rule about fewer and less.
It goes like this:
fewer is used to refer to number among things that are counted,
as in "fewer choices" and "fewer problems";
less is used to refer to quantity or amount among things that are measured, as in "less time" and "less effort."
This rule is simple enough and looks easy enough to follow,
but it's not accurate for all usage.
The fact is that less is also sometimes used to refer to number among things that are counted.
Origins of The Fewer vs Less Rule
This isn't an example of how modern English is going to the dogs.
Less has been used this way for well over a thousand years—nearly as long as there's been a written English language. But for more than 200 years almost every usage writer and English teacher has declared such use to be wrong. The received rule seems to have originated with the critic Robert Baker, who expressed it not as a law but as a matter of personal preference. Somewhere along the way—it's not clear how—his preference was generalized and elevated to an absolute, inviolable rule.
Exceptions to the Rule
Despite the rule, less used of things that are countable is standard in many contexts, and in fact is more likely than fewer in a few common constructions, especially ones involving distances (as in "less than three miles"), sums of money (as in "less than twenty dollars"), units of time and weight (as in "less than five years" and "less than ten ounces"), and statistical enumerations (as in "less than 50,000 people")—all things which are often thought of as amounts rather than numbers.
The use of less to modify ordinary plural count nouns (as in "made less mistakes") is pretty rare in writing and is usually better avoided, though it does occur frequently in speech.
But less is actually preferred in phrases like "an essay of 250 words or less." It's also—to the chagrin of some—the preferred choice in the supermarket checkout line's "twelve items or less" sign.
(Some grocery stores have apparently been convinced by the chagrin, though, and use "items or fewer." They are still very much in the minority.)
Less is common following a number, as in "a package containing three less than the others," and is the typical choice after one, as in "one less worry."
A definitive rule covering all possibilities is maybe impossible.
If you're a native speaker your best bet is to be guided by your ear, choosing the word that sounds more natural in a particular context.
If you're not a native speaker, the simple rule is a good place to start, but be sure to consider the exceptions to it as well.
Merriam-Webster Dictionary
Fewer/Less
Question:
Does the average American family have less than two kids or fewer than two kids?
Answer:
fewer
How to Remember It:
Fewer refers to things that can be counted(fewer kids, fewer chairs).
Less usually refers to quantities of things that can't be counted (less coffee, less agitation).
However, under certain circumstances less, not fewer, is more commonly used with countable things.
For example: Less than twenty miles, less than five dollars, and 1500 words or less, are considered standard.
As for the express lane at the supermarket, "ten items or fewer" follows the general rule, but "ten items or less" is also widely accepted and more often used.
The traditional view is that
less applies to matters of degree, value, or amount and modifies collective nouns, mass nouns, or nouns denoting an abstract whole
while fewer applies to matters of number and modifies plural nouns.
The apple-cart of traditional view is often upset by people who insist on using the language as they see fit. You may read more about this distinction here.
Dictionary of Problem Words and Expression
Least & less & lest & fewer
Least is the superlative degree of little;
less is the comparative:
“Toby has less money than I have; in fact, she has the least money of any girl in our group,”
Both least and less always refer toamount, size, or importance:
“less value.” “least important,” “leastinfluence,” “less distance.”
(For the distinctions between lessand fewer see FEWER)
“At least” and “not in the least”are frequently mere filler in conversation and are overworked phrases.
Neither least nor lessshould be confused with the conjunction lest,
which means “for fear that”: “He kept moving his fingers lest then freeze in the bitter cold.”
Lest also conveys the meaning of “so that”
when used to introduce a statement suggesting a need for caution:
“Don’t say much lest the opposition steal your plan.”
