内容简介

量词 “fewer” 和 “less” 的含义相似，它们都可以用来谈论两个或两组事物中的一个或一组 “少一点，少一些”。什么时候用 “fewer”？什么时候用 “less”？“一分钟英语” 节目辨析这两个词被用来比较事物时的用法区别。

文字稿

Hi, I'm Sam from BBC Learning English, and today we are going to look at the difference between less and fewer when comparing things.

It's actually very simple – we use fewer with countable nouns and less with uncountable nouns, but even native speakers get this wrong, so let's have a look at some examples:

I moved recently, and comparing my old area to my new neighbourhood, I can say:

There are fewer restaurants and fewer cafes.

And there is less traffic and less pollution.

'Cafes' and 'restaurants' are countable nouns – you can count them on your fingers, and you can make them plural – so we use fewer.

'Pollution' and 'traffic' are uncountable nouns – you can't count them on your fingers, and you can't make them plural – so we use less.

用法总结

1. “Fewer” 用来修饰可数名词。

• There are fewer restaurants and fewer cafes.

2. “Less” 用来修饰不可数名词。

• There is less traffic and less pollution.