As we move further into the 21st century we seem to be losing the use of the word ‘fewer’.
Instead increasingly I hear the use of ‘less’ when ‘fewer’ is meant.
It is less common, is correct. However ‘they beat the team with less men than they started with’ is not.
From football pundits to script writers when they should use ‘fewer’ they take a shortcut and use ‘less’.
This is either laziness, or ignorance.
I suppose it could be American usage but that is the same as ignorance.
I don’t mean Americans are ignorant so much as certain linguistic conventions are lost or subject to change in different directions in diverse cultures.
But it is rewarding to hear good English used instead of a slovenly use of the language.
Or perhaps I am mistaken. It is something I have noticed over the last few years on the BBC. I could say as few as two years. But it does seem to be becoming more frequent.
