tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5581050.post3289697736124415195..comments2024-03-21T05:10:57.134+00:00Comments on Mustard Seed Shavings: Fewer LessesSteve Tilleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17400505989949096631noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5581050.post-40368745930950319002009-01-31T22:53:00.000+00:002009-01-31T22:53:00.000+00:00This is a very interesting point. To those of us w...This is a very interesting point. To those of us who were taught grammar, er, shall we say earlier than the mid-60s, certain things - like split infinitives - simply sound wrong, and irritate.<BR/><BR/>However, the example you give ain't one of them. 'I spent less hours there than usual' would feel all wrong, and I'd want to say 'fewer', because we would be referencing a specific _number_ of hours (though unstated). However, 'less than x hours' is fine by me, because x hours can be a time-span as well as a precise number of hours. And there's no problem at all with 'less than' a time-span.<BR/><BR/>Will read the essay you refer to at a more leisured moment!RuthJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17495519870354705959noreply@blogger.com