Can you use less, lesser, few, and fewer correctly? Test your understanding with this interactive exercise.
1. ……………… people make their own bread these days.
2. I earn ....................... money than a sweeper.
3. You have got ……………….. problems than me.
4. Choose the ………………… of the two evils.
5. The easiest way to lose weight is to eat …………………. food.
6. She has ……………….. friends than her sister.
7. I would like to spend ……………… of my time cooking.
8. I worry …………………. than I used to.
9. There were ………………… of us at the college reunion.
10. The script was written by a …………………. known writer.
11. We did ....................... work today than yesterday.
12. The baby is ................................ ugly than you.
Answers
1. Few people make their own bread these days.
2. I earn less money than a sweeper.
3. You have got fewer problems than me
4. Choose the lesser of the two evils.
5. The easiest way to lose weight is to eat less food.
6. She has fewer friends than her sister.
7. I would like to spend less of my time cooking.
8. I worry less than I used to.
9. There were fewer of us at the college reunion.
10. The script was written by a lesser known writer.
11. We did less work today than yesterday.
12. The baby is less ugly than you.
Explanation
Use fewer for countable things, and less for things you don’t count. For example, you can have fewer pages, rocks, lions, or tigers, but less sugar, water, confidence, or sympathy. If you can count it, go for few or fewer. Use few for a small countable amount. If you can’t count it, opt for less. Lesser is not a quantifier like less, but an adjective. It means not so serious, great, or important as something else or as other things.
