Fewer and Less

I hate to go all ENGLISH MAJOR and grammatical on you, but I continue to hear really well-spoken, educated, articulate people use the words "fewer" and "less" incorrectly. It's no surprise, since they are used incorrectly in print and in broadcast on a non-stop basis. They are especially used incorrectly in Weight Loss ads -- tons of which we are forced to listen to and see every day. Here's the rare example where they are used correctly. Do you know why?

Here's the idea.

Fewer is used for separate, individual, discrete, "count-able" items (actually called in grammar books "count nouns".) Fewer calories.

Less is used for a "glob" of stuff that you can't enumerate or separate (often called "mass nouns" or "non-count nouns". ) Less fat.

Fewer hours in the day. Less time.

Fewer constitutional rights. Less freedom.

Fewer cars. Less traffic.

When you start to use the words correctly, you'll notice how often people don't. It will be jarring to your ear, like it is to mine.

Am I being too picky? Maybe.*

Fewer errors. Less miscommunication.

*Easy way to remember which is which -- the thing that is a glob = less-- one syllable in GLOB, one syllable in LESS; the thing that has pieces (piec-es 2 syllables) is the word with two syllables FEW-ER (it has two parts to the word)