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What's the most petty/pointless/pedantic hill you're willing to die on? (programming.dev)

submitted 3 months ago by notnotmike@programming.dev to c/asklemmy@lemmy.world

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For me, it may be that the toilet paper roll needs to have the open end away from the wall. I don't want to reach under the roll to take a piece! That's ludicrous!

That or my recent addiction to correcting people when they use "less" when they should use "fewer"

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[-] NostraDavid@programming.dev 27 points 3 months ago

That or my recent addiction to correcting people when they use “less” when they should use “fewer”

Remember, kids, "less" is for uncountable things, like liquids, whereas "fewer" is for countable things (like apples).

It's one of many weird rules that English, as a language, has.

[-] Semjaza@lemmynsfw.com 4 points 3 months ago

With a few odd exceptions, which is why "five items or less" is actually correct.

Which is why English is even more fun.

[-] FUBAR@lemm.ee 4 points 3 months ago

I guess it makes sense. Less than 5 can be considered variable thus not countable

[-] tetris11@lemmy.ml 4 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

geringer vs weniger in German, and they have nice counting rules too for "none" and "not".

That's not a dog → Das ist nicht ein Hund (wrong, a dog is countable)
That's no dog → Das ist kein Hund (right, you can count a dog)

Both sentences are valid in English, but only one is valid in German

[-] JackbyDev@programming.dev 1 points 3 months ago

Fewer is only for countable things, but less can be either.

this post was submitted on 23 Aug 2024

472 points (98.2% liked)

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