Lesson Thirty

more / less, fewer

When increasing the quantity of a noun, use the word "more."

He wants more opportunities to go to the beach.
He needs more water.

When decreasing the quantity of a noun, choose between the words "less" or "fewer," depending on the type of noun it is. In this case, you need to consider if a noun is a count noun or a noncount noun. (Learn the differences between count and nouncount nouns in Blue Level Lesson Nineteen.)

He has fewer opportunities to go to the beach these days because he’s so busy. The word "opportunities " is a count noun.
He should drink less lemonade. He might get sick. The word "lemonade" is a nouncount noun.

Using "more" is fairly easy because you can use "more" with both count nouns and noncount nouns:

• Let’s get some more food. (The word "food" is a noncount noun.)
• I want to read more books this year . (The word "onion" is a count noun.)

Choosing between "less" and "fewer" is not as easy. You really have to pay attention to the type of noun you are describing.

• I’m trying to eat less food in order to lose weght. (The word "food" is a noncount noun.)
• The students have fewer books to read this semester. (The word "book(s)" is a count noun.)

Generally, words that end in an "s" are plural count nouns. Words that don’t end in "s" but are considered plural are noncount nouns.

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Next: Yellow Level Review