How to Use More Than, Less Than, and Fewer Than Correctly in English

By Kesari Prakash / November 26, 2024

Fewer vs Less – English Grammar Guide

“FEWER” AND “LESS”

“Fewer” and “less” are used to show that there is a smaller quantity or amount of something.

“Fewer” is used with plural countable nouns, and “less” is used with uncountable nouns.

Examples:

Fewer people drive cars these days. (“People” is a plural countable noun.)
Travelling by bus or train uses less fuel. (“Fuel” is an uncountable noun.)

More examples:

There are fewer whales in the oceans nowadays.
We need to spend less money.
Fewer people enjoy gardening these days.
There is much less traffic today.

Common Mistakes with “Fewer” and “Less”

It is important to remember the distinction between countable and uncountable nouns when using “fewer” and “less.”

Correct: I have fewer potatoes than I need. (“Fewer” is used with plural countable nouns.)

Incorrect: I have less potatoes than I need.

Incorrect: I have fewer flour than the recipe requires.

Correct: I have less flour than I need.

“More Than,” “Less Than,” and “Fewer Than”

“More than” is used when talking about amounts or quantities of both countable and uncountable nouns.

Lions eat more than 15 pounds of meat each day.

“Fewer than” is used for groups of people or things.

There are fewer than 2500 tigers in the wild.

“Less than” is used when talking about amounts, distances, time, and money.

The wildlife park costs less than Rs 10 to visit.
The committee holds meetings more than 5 times a month.
There were more than 100 people at the event.
The charity survives with fewer than 20 volunteers.

Fewer vs. Less Quiz

Which of the following sentences uses “fewer” correctly?
A) I have fewer water in the bottle.
B) I have fewer apples than you.
C) I have fewer rice than needed.
D) I have fewer flour than necessary.
Which of the following is correct?
A) There is fewer sugar in my tea.
B) There is fewer time left for the meeting.
C) There is less sugar in my tea.
D) There is less people in the room.
Choose the sentence that is correct.
A) We need less volunteers for the event.
B) We need fewer volunteers for the event.
C) We need less volunteers for the event.
D) We need fewer money for the event.
Which one of the following is correct?
A) He spends fewer time than I do.
B) He spends less time than I do.
C) He spends fewer hours than I do.
D) He spends less hours than I do.
Which of the following is incorrect?
A) There are fewer chairs in the room than needed.
B) I have fewer books than she does.
C) We have fewer furniture than they do.
D) Fewer people attended the meeting.
Which sentence uses “less” correctly?
A) I need fewer coffee today.
B) I have less homework tonight.
C) There are less students in class today.
D) I have less apples than you.
Which one is correct?
A) Fewer cars are on the road today.
B) Fewer fuel is used in buses than in cars.
C) Less cars are on the road today.
D) Less fuel is used in buses than in cars.
Which of the following sentences is incorrect?
A) There were fewer people at the concert than expected.
B) There are less people in the restaurant today.
C) There are fewer people in the restaurant today.
D) There are fewer animals in the zoo this year.
Choose the correct sentence:
A) I spent fewer time on the project.
B) I spent less time on the project.
C) I spent fewer hours on the project.
D) I spent less hours on the project.
Which of the following is correct?
A) I need fewer sugar in my coffee.
B) I need less sugar in my coffee.
C) I need fewer sugar for my coffee.
D) I need less sugar for my coffee.
Which is the correct sentence?
A) Fewer time is spent on the lesson now.
B) Less time is spent on the lesson now.
C) Fewer minutes are spent on the lesson now.
D) Less minutes are spent on the lesson now.
Which sentence is correct?
A) I have fewer time to finish the project.
B) I have less time to finish the project.
C) I have fewer time left to finish the project.
D) I have fewer time to finish the project.
Choose the correct sentence.
A) There is less food on the table than usual.
B) There is fewer food on the table than usual.
C) There are less food on the table than usual.
D) There are fewer food on the table than usual.
Which of the following sentences is correct?
A) Fewer water was spilled during the experiment.
B) Less water was spilled during the experiment.
C) Fewer water was spilled during the experiment.
D) Less water were spilled during the experiment.
Choose the correct sentence:
A) There are fewer errors in your work.
B) There are less errors in your work.
C) There is fewer errors in your work.
D) There is less errors in your work.
Which is the correct sentence?
A) She has fewer work than he does.
B) She has less work than he does.
C) She has fewer works than he does.
D) She has less works than he does.
Which sentence is correct?
A) There are fewer information available online.
B) There is less information available online.
C) There are less information available online.
D) There is fewer information available online.
Which one is correct?
A) She has fewer knowledge than him.
B) She has less knowledge than him.
C) She has fewer knowledges than him.
D) She has less knowledges than him.
Which of the following is correct?
A) We have less friends than we used to.
B) We have fewer friends than we used to.
C) We have less friends than we used to.
D) We have fewer friends than we used to.
Which of the following is correct?
A) There are fewer information in the book.
B) There is fewer information in the book.
C) There are less information in the book.
D) There is less information in the book.

How to Use More Than, Less Than, and Fewer Than Correctly in English

“FEWER” AND “LESS”

Common Mistakes with “Fewer” and “Less”

“More Than,” “Less Than,” and “Fewer Than”

Fewer vs. Less Quiz

Quiz Results:

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“FEWER” AND “LESS”

Common Mistakes with “Fewer” and “Less”

“More Than,” “Less Than,” and “Fewer Than”

Fewer vs. Less Quiz

Quiz Results:

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