Comments on: Back to School Week: UF Issues Alternative Transport Challenge

By: Roman

Roman — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 19:49:38 +0000

I understand the basic rule that says you can’t have less cars on the road, only fewer cars. But, to me, the expression isn’t saying that. It’s saying something different: If n= the number of cars on the road, the bike represents n-1. We are numerically down one, minus one or less one car. The avoidance of the few/many comparative terms is deliberate in this case because it would alter the meaning and impact of the expression. When you plaster a “One Less Car” sticker on a bike, the bike is the subject. “One Fewer Car” sounds wrong to my ear. “One Car Fewer” sounds better, but implies the road is the subject. The relationship between the subject and the object is now lost and it makes no sense. It’s not a less vs. fewer issue, to wit “One Less Traffic” doesn’t work either.

I think the grammarians should give us a pass here, because while ‘less’ almost always means that you are making a comparison, it doesn’t necessarily mean a comparison. I could just mean subtraction for example.

Thanks for your comments. You have given me cause to reflect on this issue even more.

By: Shirley Siluk Gregory

Shirley Siluk Gregory — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 15:10:52 +0000

Sorry Roman, I’ll have to disagree with you there : )

Here’s an excerpt from the “Fewer or Less?” entry at englishplus.com:

“Fewer or Less?

Use fewer with objects that can be counted one-by-one. (My note: as with cars.)

Use less with qualities or quantities that cannot be individually counted.

Incorrect: There were less days below freezing last winter.

Correct: There were fewer days below freezing last winter.
(Days can be counted.)

Correct: I drank less water than she did.
(Water cannot be counted individually here.)”

By: Roman

Roman — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 22:20:17 +0000

I wish to defend the grammatical correctness of the slogan ‘One less car’. We are not making a comparison or saying that there are too many or few cars on the road. We are merely saying that a bicycle decrements that number by one. Cars come and go. Their numbers are in a state of flux, but at least I can say, there shall be ‘one less’. Your idea of using “One Fewer Car Challenge” doesn’t make sense to me. How do you drive a fewer car?