[求助]请教fewer of用法

dreadpower

在XDF听课笔记上摘录了这么一句话：Fewer of 必错 less of 或者 more of 修饰前面状语

         我在GEMJ编的SC大全，RC大全和CR大全中搜索了一遍，几乎没有用Fewer of 的，只有在CR中找到两个例子（举其中一个）：At meals that included alcohol, relatively more of the total calories consumed came from carbohydrates and relatively fewer of them came from fats and proteins.

         因此产生了一些疑问，fewer of 这个表达对吗？？
         还可参见下面的题目：大全164

164.Because natural gas is composed mostly of methane, a simple hydrocarbon, vehicles powered by natural gas emit less of certain pollutants than the burning of gasoline or diesel fuel.
(A) less of certain pollutants than the burning of gasoline or diesel fuel
(B) fewer of certain pollutants than burning gasoline or diesel fuel do
(C) less of certain pollutants than gasoline or diesel fuel
(D) fewer of certain pollutants than does burning gasoline or diesel fuel
(E) less of certain pollutants than those burning gasoline or diesel fuel

    答案是E。比如把E选项的less of改为fewer of ，对吗？？？

turtlechen

版主所說這題甚是有趣！
在我常用的那本文法書中2.206說到：
通常"less of" 與單數和不可數名詞連用，"fewer of"與複數名詞連用，"more of" 與所有三類名詞連用。
又說道："less of" 有時用來代替"fewer of" 但許多人認為這種用法不正確。

而本題卻是違背了常用原則。

不過利用google 搜尋一下又發現。pollutant 雖為可屬名詞，用less與 few來修飾的人都有。
足見解題之關鍵不在這，

而是 E 的 those = vehicles 使得比較對象同類

dreadpower

我的疑惑主要不是在为什么选E上，只是在于fewer of 和less of的区别，还有就是XDF笔记：“Fewer of 必错 less of 或者 more of 修饰前面状语”这句话的可信度。

      谢谢你的解答！

turtlechen

是啊！這很有趣！
以前背文法是記 few of 接可數，less of  接不可數。
現在看來 less of 都可以接，這條規則不成立了！

dreadpower

less of 后面可以接可数或不可数，这个以前GEMJ总结过

rabbitbug

M-W 是这样来解释fewer和less得区别: 已经不存在less只能修饰不可数抽象名词的规定了, less也可以修饰可数名词, 但是多用于修饰sums, distances,或者25 words or less这是, M-W的例子. 从解释来看, less和fewer是有区别的, 不是可以互换的. 对于这里的pollutants, ETS是不是认为pollutants是一种sums? 没有办法, 恐怕只能这么理解. 请楼主看看对于这个知识点这样处理是否合适: 如果ETS真的想考你less和fewer的区别, 就记住less可以修饰可数名词的以上几种类型, 其他的, 则用fewer.

请指正!

rabbitbug

补充: 修饰时间hours, less和fewer可以互换.

dreadpower

总结的真好！！！！！！！！！！！！！

jetrong

不好意思，我看了这么多年的英文，好像重来没有看过有fewer of ,如果让我选我第一个排除的答案就是B和D!
今天看各位的讨论，受益很多!

gemj

google上搜索来的：

Fewer or Less?

Use fewer with objects that can be counted one-by-one.

Use less with qualities or quantities that cannot be individually counted.

Incorrect: There were less days below freezing last winter.

Correct: There were fewer days below freezing last winter.
(Days can be counted.)

Correct: I drank less water than she did.
(Water cannot be counted individually here.)

When referring to time or money, less is normally used even with numbers. Specific units of time or money use fewer only in cases where individual items are referred to.

Examples:
I have less than an hour to do this work.
I have less time to this work.
I have less money than I need.
I have less than twenty dollars.
He worked fewer hours than I did.


The only occasion in which you might say, "I have fewer than twenty dollars," would be when you were talking about specific dollar bills or coins, such as "I have fewer than twenty silver dollars in my collection."