Christmas presents for the Grammar Police

[Ricardowensleydale]

"In our hospital we have 150 qualified nurses."
"We have less qualified nurses."

.

"In our hospital we have 150 qualified nurses"
"We have 100 less qualified nurses"

How many nurses do they have? Is it a bad hospital or a really bad hospital?

If the headline read "Hospital to operate with less qualified nurses", would that be helpful?

 

[Phil E]

African or European Nurses?

 

[OB..]

"In our hospital we have 150 qualified nurses"
"We have 100 less qualified nurses"

How many nurses do they have? Is it a bad hospital or a really bad hospital?

If the headline read "Hospital to operate with less qualified nurses", would that be helpful?

All good academic fun, but anyone who relies on the supposed distinction between "less" and "fewer" to get their meaning across is likely to fail.

 

[crossref]

All good academic fun, but anyone who relies on the supposed distinction between "less" and "fewer" to get their meaning across is likely to fail.

few would do

 

[tim White]

A punch line that Less Dawson would be proud of

 

[Rushforth]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0zNWswcqMg

 

[Dickie E]

I have less than $50 in my wallet

or

I have fewer than $50 in my wallet

 

[Rushforth]

http://www.grammarmudge.cityslide.com/articles/article/992333/8731.htm

Countability is of the essence, but 'For instance, money is countable, but the word money is not usually used as a countable noun – we do not say, "one money, two moneys (or monies)." Thus, we speak of "less money," not "fewer money." On the other hand, we do count "one penny or one dollar, two pennies or two dollars." Thus, the correct comparative term is fewer pennies or fewer dollars (but see the next paragraph).'

 

[didds]

I have less than $50 in my wallet

or

I have fewer than $50 in my wallet

"I've got $49"

didds

 

[Ricardowensleydale]

On a similar thread, I noted that dictionaries have started adding "figuratively" as one of the definitions of "literally", although, apparently, this has been going on for some time.

 

[Ricardowensleydale]

I have less than $50 in my wallet

or

I have fewer than $50 in my wallet

If dollars only came in ones, fewer, but they don't so either. The dollar is both a unit and a cumulative amount.

 

[Wedgie]

.. but you mean Pedants' Revolt

My cap is duly doffed and I retire to the corner, tail firmly between my legs.....

 

[Dixie]

"I've got $49"

didds

I can sub you until payday if that's not enough

 

[Dickie E]

the phrase "please respond to my question in a timely manner".

Is it OK to say "please respond to my question timely"?

I deal with some O/S people who don't speak English as a first language (Chinese).

They use "timely" in lieu of "in a timely maner". It sounds wrong but is quite efficient.

 

[4eyesbetter]

It's ungrammatical but it's pretty obvious what it means.

 

[Dickie E]

It's ungrammatical but it's pretty obvious what it means.

I wonder why. We'd be OK with "run to the shop quickly". Is it because quick is an adjective but time is a noun?

 

[OB..]

I wonder why. We'd be OK with "run to the shop quickly". Is it because quick is an adjective but time is a noun?

I think it is because "timely" is an adjective, even though it has the form of an adverb. The adverbial form is the archaic "timelily", but it sounds odd so we use periphrasis instead. "Holy" is another example.

Non-native speakers do not have that same sensitivity, so their phraseology sounds odd and makes you stop and think.

 

[Dixie]

They use "timely" in lieu of "in a timely maner". It sounds wrong but is quite efficient.

I get this quite often from native speakers, and like you I don't like it because it sounds wrong. I'm not at all sure it is incorrect, however.

The Scots do this well, using the adjective Timeously, which sounds better than the Timelily that OB rightly derides as archaic. So they would say that they submitted their homework timeously - which is more elegant than "in a timely manner".

 

[SimonSmith]

timeo timeous

 

[Lee Lifeson-Peart]

I get this quite often from native speakers, and like you I don't like it because it sounds wrong. I'm not at all sure it is incorrect, however.

The Scots do this well, using the adjective Timeously, which sounds better than the Timelily that OB rightly derides as archaic. So they would say that they submitted their homework timeously - which is more elegant than "in a timely manner".

They submitted their homework on time..? Mebby?