This has been bugging us since the advertising campaign began a while ago. TBS, the cable channel, is perpetuating awful grammar with their slogan:
“more movie … less commercials.”
We caught this grammar gaffe during tonight’s showing of the wonderful movie The School of Rock.
We love the movie, however, it was an insult to our senses having this slogan displayed on the screen throughout. We went for the DVD.
Therefore, we are going to shamelessly steal from our earlier post: Less is not always more … and may continue to do so until correctness catches on.
OK, everybody repeat after us …
I will use “less” for amounts that cannot be counted as discrete items, such as water, sunshine, and money.
I will use “fewer” for numbers of items that can be counted as discrete items, such as drops of water, rays of sunshine, dollar bills, and … of course, commercials!
Get it? Got it. Good!
See our other previous post on this topic: Limit less …
AGGGHHH!!! Thank you for noticing this … it’s been driving me crazy [well, crazier] too!! Kind of like my grocery store that offers theoretically shorter lines for customers with “10 items or less” …
I HATE this one!!! I notice it all the time, and à la Lynne Truss, I want to take a pen out of my purse and correct it!
I am relieved to know that there are people who notice and care about these things. My grammar is not perfect but my skin crawls every time I hear this.
Trying to distinguish between “less” and “fewer” is completely arbitrary. They have the same meaning. “10 items or less” is perfectly good grammar.
First, I recently discovered your blog and am definitely learning and enjoying.
Second, a couple minor corrections to this post:
1. “Therefore, we are going to shamlessly steal from our earlier post..”
I assume you mean “shamelessly”?
2. “I will use “less” for amounts that cannot be counted as discrete items, such as, water, sunshine, and money.”
“I will use “fewer” for numbers of items that can be counted as discrete items, such as, drops of water, rays of sunshine, dollar bills, and … of course, trees!”
Please do correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t believe the comma after “such as” is necessary. Yay/nay?
Thanks. We stand (post) corrected!
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