Vraag
Is ‘less’ voor meervoudige zelfstandige naamwoorden acceptabel (bijv. less visitors)? Antwoord Op basis van de volgende informatie, luidt mijn antwoord: ja. Bronnen A Grammaticaboeken M. Swan, Practical English (2007,Oxford University Press): ”Less is quite common before plural nouns. Especially in an informal style. Some people consider this incorrect. I have got less problems than I used to have.” Cobuild, English Usage (2002, Collins): “Less is sometimes used in front of plural nouns: This proposal will mean less jobs and a dwindling rail network However, fewer sounds formal when used in conversation.” L. Alexander, Longman English Grammar (1988, Longman): “In practice the informal use by native speakers of less and the least with plural countables or collective words like people is commonly heard (less people, less newspapers).” P. van der Voort, Core Grammar for Higher Education (2009, Noordhoff) “In modern English less/least are quite common instead of fewer/fewest, especially in informal style.” R. Close, A Reference Grammar for Students of English (1981, Longman) “There is a growing tendency to put ‘less’ before a count plural noun. “ B Wat blijkt uit geschreven authentieke teksten? Uit zoekresultaten (UK sites) op Internet blijkt dat in geschreven taal voor meervouden zowel fewer als less gebruikt worden. Fewer komt echter vaker voor. Enkele getallen: Fewer visitors: 6390 less visitors: 4510 Fewer students: 10.000 less students: 6470 Fewer complaints: 14000 less complaints 3930 Enkele citaten met less + meervoud in een formele context: These tend to have less job vacancies than the job boards - especially for local or niche industry publications. (www.jobcentreguide.co.uk/online-job-searching/16/searching-for-jobs-online) We've got several babies who are having heart surgery that we're actually helping them through the heart surgery because they have less problems with infection. (www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland) However, the blood vessels, being larger, would potentially present less problems during surgery. The research is published in the magazine Nature. (news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/) In both cases, the patients had significantly less problems with stiffness and spasms when they were taking the IVIg therapy. (news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/1722143.st) The providing School may cancel this module if six or less students are registered on it. (reading.ac.uk) De volgende twee citaten laten zien dat in dezelfde alinea less en fewer zelfs door elkaar worden gebruikt als het gaat om meervouden: Fewer people are reporting graffiti vandalism in the East Midlands. Derby, Lincoln and Leicester councils say they are receiving less complaints. (news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/4247461.stm) Foods with a low "calorific density" allow people to eat more, yet actually take in less calories, because they contain fewer calories per bite than traditional low fat foods. (www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-460790)  |
