less or fewer ?
举个典型的例子：在美国超市里买东西，结帐时你可以选择走普通通道或快速通道。快速通道上面必定有显眼的标志：For X items or less（购买不超过X件物品的顾客可使用此道）。到目前为止我还没有看到任何一家超市用For X items or fewer。
被许多语言学家推荐的M erriam-Webster’s Concise Dictionary of English Usage 有专门的less/fewer 条目，里面确认了这一现象：Here is the rule as it is usually encountered:fewer refers to number among things that are counted,and less refers to quantity or amount among things that are measured. This rule is simple enough and easy enough to follow. It has only one fault----it is not accurate for all usage.
（通常的原则是：fewer形容可数名词，跟“数”挂钩；less形容不可数名词，跟“量”挂钩。这个原则简单易行，只有一个缺陷----它并不总能准确描述所有的用法。）