Which is correct and why (English query)

Which is correct and why (English query)

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mph999

Original Poster:

2,714 posts

219 months

Thursday 9th January 2014
quotequote all
OK chums, calling all English language experts ...

"Performance may be lower than expected"

or

"Performance may be less than expected"

Which is correct (if any) and why ...

Many thanks, M

StefanVXR8

3,603 posts

197 months

Thursday 9th January 2014
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I would say either or, however, the first reads better seeing as we are talking about a numerical value?

Stef

boyse7en

6,671 posts

164 months

Thursday 9th January 2014
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lower

Bushi

340 posts

192 months

Thursday 9th January 2014
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Would depend on what the subject was and how it was measured, demonstrated.

cianha

2,165 posts

196 months

Thursday 9th January 2014
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Depends on the context. I don't think either is more correct than the other. It's not like the "10 items or less" controversy.

I would use "less".

http://public.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/amount.html

This is a vast subject. I will try to limit the number of words I expend on it so as not to use up too great an amount of space. The confusion between the two categories of words relating to amount and number is so pervasive that those of us who still distinguish between them constitute an endangered species; but if you want to avoid our ire, learn the difference. Amount words relate to quantities of things that are measured in bulk; number to things that can be counted.

In the second sentence above, it would have been improper to write "the amount of words" because words are discrete entities which can be counted, or numbered.

Here is a handy chart to distinguish the two categories of words:

amount number
quantity number
little few
less fewer
much many


You can eat fewer cookies, but you drink less milk. If you eat too many cookies, people would probably think you've had too much dessert. If the thing being measured is being considered in countable units, then use number words. Even a substance which is considered in bulk can also be measured by number of units. For instance, you shouldn't drink too much wine, but you should also avoid drinking too many glasses of wine. Note that here you are counting glasses. They can be numbered.

The most common mistake of this kind is to refer to an "amount" of people instead of a "number" of people.

Just to confuse things, "more" can be used either way: you can eat more cookies and drink more milk.

Exceptions to the less/fewer pattern are references to units of time and money, which are usually treated as amounts: less than an hour, less than five dollars. Only when you are referring to specific coins or bills would you use fewer: "I have fewer than five state quarters to go to make my collection complete."



HustleRussell

24,602 posts

159 months

Thursday 9th January 2014
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In that sentance I'd use 'lower'. I might use 'less' if the phrase performance 'figures', or 'statistics' etc was in there.

Dr Interceptor

7,743 posts

195 months

Thursday 9th January 2014
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Lower... It may be a lower number, not a less number.

Mave

8,208 posts

214 months

Thursday 9th January 2014
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I'd use lower. Performance doesn't have a definition so you are simply using "lower" to indicate "worse", and you would use "higher" to indicate "better". If you were talking about something like power which is a defined quantity, I would use "less".

Amateurish

7,697 posts

221 months

Thursday 9th January 2014
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"Less".

Would you ask how "much" performance it had, or how "many"?

MikeyC

836 posts

226 months

Thursday 9th January 2014
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question reminded me of a grammar test on BBC website last year here
smile

Eric Mc

121,779 posts

264 months

Thursday 9th January 2014
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I'd say neither. I would say "Performance will not be as good as expected".

Amateurish

7,697 posts

221 months

Thursday 9th January 2014
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Performance is a "mass noun" so the answer is "less".

simoid

19,772 posts

157 months

Thursday 9th January 2014
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Eric Mc said:
I'd say neither. I would say "Performance will not be as good as expected".
Would you say "high performing"?

Eric Mc

121,779 posts

264 months

Thursday 9th January 2014
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Only if it was true.

p1esk

4,914 posts

195 months

Thursday 9th January 2014
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Eric Mc said:
Only if it was true.
Should that be "Only if it were true"?

I'm not sure, might be wrong.

Eric Mc

121,779 posts

264 months

Thursday 9th January 2014
quotequote all
p1esk said:
Eric Mc said:
Only if it was true.
Should that be "Only if it were true"?

I'm not sure, might be wrong.
If only I knew.

Mave

8,208 posts

214 months

Thursday 9th January 2014
quotequote all
Amateurish said:
"Less".

Would you ask how "much" performance it had, or how "many"?
Doesn't matter because it can't be answered! However, would you ask "is this a low performance car" or "is this a less performance car"? The issue as I see it us that performance is qualitative rather than quantitative.

davepoth

29,395 posts

198 months

Thursday 9th January 2014
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Mave said:
Amateurish said:
"Less".

Would you ask how "much" performance it had, or how "many"?
Doesn't matter because it can't be answered! However, would you ask "is this a low performance car" or "is this a less performance car"? The issue as I see it us that performance is qualitative rather than quantitative.
And if that was the case I would go with "worse" rather than less or lower. "high performance" is probably poor usage but (as is the way with English) if you use an idiom enough it becomes correct.

ClassicMotorNut

2,438 posts

137 months

Thursday 9th January 2014
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Amateurish said:
"Less".

Would you ask how "much" performance it had, or how "many"?
It's 'how much', but I would stay say 'lower', because you would be given figures and you can have a lower figure but you can't have a less figure.

If I asked how many performance(s) he had, I would expect to hear something like 'it's got fewer performance(s) than that Defender' and neither question nor answer would be grammatically correct.

New POD

3,851 posts

149 months

Thursday 9th January 2014
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Performance is subject to a variation
Performance may vary