We all have pet peeves. One of mine (admittedly, I am persnickety and have several) is the use of less and fewer.
One uses the word less when describing broad items.
Example We have less freedom today than we did a centrury ago.
The word fewer is used when describing items that can be counted.
Example The team has fewer wins this year than last year.
One of the stories I keep running into this morning is that the Police Benevolent Association has put up a billboard as one approaches Atlantic City. It is a scare tactic to warn visitors that AC isn’t safe since it cut 73 police officers. Nice, eh?
Anyhow, the text of the billboard reads:
In AC, everyone wants to get lucky.
With 73 less officers,
Even the bad guys are feeling lucky.
Some of the PBA dues should be used to hire a proofreader. It would make its case stronger. It is easy to dismiss such a blatant public (non-fixable) error.
Chalky wrote a piece for The Daily Journal recently questioning the need for the school lunch program. I could not agree more . . . Shipping prices have skyrocketed of late. I was going to order $9 worth of (lightweight) product from Amazon until I saw the $12 shipping charge. I’ll wait to get free shipping . . . Proud of Gert! She took a few time slots for the Relay for Life walk at CCC . . . Finally got a Google Voice invitation. We’ll see how good the transcription is . . . Did anyone know stromuhr before last evening? The Scripps Spelling Bee is compelling television . . . A class act, John Wooden, has a special place in heaven. This man exuded character . . . I don’t care for Yo Gabba Gabba!, but The Boy does. I saw there is a show at the Mann this summer. I balked at the $250 price tag for our family to go to this. Is this really what family entertainment costs these days? . . . I want one of these T-shirts . . . Armando Galarraga displayed great sportsmanship this week. Very impressive from such a young man. Jim Joyce handled his shortcoming well. This proves that not everything has to degrade . . . Speaking of character, Miles Jackson is back on the scene. I agree with him on this issue, although I do not respect his character much . . . Paul McCartney took a severe character hit this week too. Band on the Run was my first or second album purchased. I am a fan of his music, not his politics . . . Speaking of music, I am going to see The Manhattan Transfer again in December . . .
This week I am teaching my students the word wistful. It’s a fabulous word.
In the fall 1991 I had just relocated back to New Jersey after four fun years in Boston. I had just broken up with my girlfriend, decided not to attend the Culinary Institute of America, and was trying to figure out what direction to head my life toward. I treated myself to a much needed Jerry Garcia show at the Spectrum. It was the first time I saw him play Shining Star. What a beautiful version of this Manhattans song. Life was good for a still 20-something young man.
Alas, there are no more Jerry shows to pick up my mood.
This scrolling sign is the frequent home to misspellings. We find it humorous. For the record, the apostrophe represents letters that are missing in a contraction. The apostrophe belongs at the beginning of the word.
Nevertheless, ’tis the season to celebrate Christ. Rejoice!
