Which is correct and why (English query)

Which is correct and why (English query)

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mph999

Original Poster:

2,737 posts

226 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

3,604 posts

204 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

7,083 posts

171 months

Thursday 9th January 2014
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lower

Bushi

375 posts

199 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

203 months

Thursday 9th January 2014
quotequote all
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

25,193 posts

166 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

8,040 posts

202 months

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

Mave

8,209 posts

221 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

7,887 posts

228 months

Thursday 9th January 2014
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"Less".

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

MikeyC

836 posts

233 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

122,789 posts

271 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

7,887 posts

228 months

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

simoid

19,772 posts

164 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

122,789 posts

271 months

Thursday 9th January 2014
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Only if it was true.

p1esk

4,914 posts

202 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

122,789 posts

271 months

Thursday 9th January 2014
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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

8,209 posts

221 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

205 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

144 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

156 months

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