'Less' or 'Fewer'?

[rowan]

Am I the only one who cringes every time they read 'less carbs' on these forums? It must be one of the most comon errors I see here and although I don't like to mention it at the time (and possibly derail the thread!) I have to mention it somewhere!
If anyone is not sure have a look here http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/words/less-or-fewer

 

[NoCrbs4Me]

I don't count carbs, so "less carbs" is correct for me. To be technically correct it's "zero carbs" for me.

 

[poohtiggy]

Agree Rowan, the one that gets me is the use of 'of ' as in should of ...would of...could of surely this should be have, but then, each to their own

 

[rowan]

I don't count carbs, so "less carbs" is correct for me. To be technically correct it's "zero carbs" for me.

Doesn't matter if you count them or not, it's still 'fewer carbs'. Although zero carbs would be ok if you never eat any carbs.

 

[rowan]

Agree Rowan, the one that gets me is the use of 'of ' as in should of ...would of...could of surely this should be have, but then, each to their own

I agree with you! Like 'would've' and 'could've' is short for would have and could have, not would of and could of. What's so difficult to understand about that?

 

[NoCrbs4Me]

Doesn't matter if you count them or not, it's still 'fewer carbs'. Although zero carbs would be ok if you never eat any carbs.

If you want to be super pedantic, we are not counting carbs, but rather grams of carbs. So even saying "fewer carbs" is wrong. It should be fewer grams of carbs. And "carbs" isn't really a word. One could also argue that "carbohydrate" isn't plural, except in the sense of different kinds of carbohydrates. For example (from a guideline on diabetes): "In individuals whose diabetes is controlled by lifestyle or oral hypoglycemic agents that do not increase insulin levels, the risk of developing hypoglycemia during exercise is minimal, and most individuals will not need to monitor their blood glucose levels or be required to supplement with carbohydrate for exercise lasting <1 hour." So it really should be "fewer grams of carbohydrate". So stop saying "fewer carbs", it's annoying.

 

[NoCrbs4Me]

Or even better, we should say "less carbohydrate", just like we say "less sugar", "less protein", and "less fat".

 

[Brunneria]

If the meaning is clear. I ain't gotta problem!

Having worked, for years, with dyslexics and being aware that education does not equal intelligence, kindness, or niceness, I find the Grammar Police far more irritating than the odd grammar mistake or typo.

Yes, I have my bugbears, but then I see some of the posts that I have written, and see errors - half of which can be blamed on ignorance, half on typos, and another halves ( ) on carelessness and predictive text.

Even if someone is 100% sure they have never made a grammar error themselves, and feel this entitles them to preach, I think they should remember that this is a support forum for diabetics, and that qualifications in grammar are not part of the entry requirement.

 

[rowan]

If you want to be super pedantic, we are not counting carbs, but rather grams of carbs. So even saying "fewer carbs" is wrong. It should be fewer grams of carbs. And "carbs" isn't really a word. One could also argue that "carbohydrate" isn't plural, except in the sense of different kinds of carbohydrates. For example (from a guideline on diabetes): "In individuals whose diabetes is controlled by lifestyle or oral hypoglycemic agents that do not increase insulin levels, the risk of developing hypoglycemia during exercise is minimal, and most individuals will not need to monitor their blood glucose levels or be required to supplement with carbohydrate for exercise lasting <1 hour." So it really should be "fewer grams of carbohydrate". So stop saying "fewer carbs", it's annoying.

No, we're still counting carbs/carbohydrates, whether the word is abbreviated or not, and fewer is correct.

 

[rowan]

If the meaning is clear. I ain't gotta problem!

Having worked, for years, with dyslexics and being aware that education does not equal intelligence, kindness, or niceness, I find the Grammar Police far more irritating than the odd grammar mistake or typo.

Yes, I have my bugbears, but then I see some of the posts that I have written, and see errors - half of which can be blamed on ignorance, half on typos, and another halves ( ) on carelessness and predictive text.

Even if someone is 100% sure they have never made a grammar error themselves, and feel this entitles them to preach, I think they should remember that this is a support forum for diabetics, and that qualifications in grammar are not part of the entry requirement.

My son is dyslexic and I can recognise dyslexic errors, but using th wrong word is a common mistake that has nothing to do with dylexia.
I am not grammar police, there are many errors I see online that I let go, but on this forum in particular, where carbs is a common topic, less and fewer are constantly confused.