Grammar Analysis: Identifying Incorrect Sentences

The objective of this question is to identify the grammatically incorrect sentence from the given options. This requires a strong understanding of English grammar rules, particularly the proper use of 'less', 'fewer', and 'little' when referring to quantities and amounts.

Less and Little: Core Differences

Let's clarify the usage of 'less', 'fewer', and 'little':

• Less: This word is used with non-countable nouns (also known as mass nouns) and refers to a smaller amount or quantity. It is also the comparative form of 'little'. Examples include 'less water', 'less time', 'less patience'.
• Fewer: This word is used with countable nouns and indicates a smaller number of items. Examples include 'fewer students', 'fewer cars', 'fewer mistakes'.
• Little: This word refers to a small amount of a non-countable noun in an absolute sense, not necessarily in comparison. For instance, 'There is little milk left.' When expressing a very small absolute quantity of a non-countable noun, the correct phrase is 'very little', not 'very less'.

Sentence Analysis: Grammatical Correctness

Money Back: Analyzing Sentence 1

• Original Sentence: "They gave us the money back less the service charges of Three Hundred rupees."
• Analysis: In this context, 'less' functions as a preposition meaning 'minus' or 'deducting'. This is a standard and grammatically correct usage in financial and accounting terms.
• Grammatical Status: Correct.

Country's Expenditure: Analyzing Sentence 2

• Original Sentence: "This country's expenditure is not less than that of Bangladesh."
• Analysis: 'Expenditure' refers to an amount of money spent, which is a non-countable noun. Therefore, using 'less' for comparison is appropriate. The sentence correctly compares the total expenditure.
• Grammatical Status: Correct.

Funding Sum: Analyzing Sentence 3

• Original Sentence: "The committee initially asked for a funding of Fifty Lakh rupees, but later settled for a lesser sum."
• Analysis: 'Lesser' is the comparative form of 'less' and is used as an adjective meaning 'smaller in amount or degree'. While 'rupees' are countable, 'a sum' refers to a total amount which can be treated as a collective, non-countable concept in this context. "A lesser sum" is a perfectly acceptable and common idiomatic expression meaning a smaller total amount.
• Grammatical Status: Correct.

Educational Reforms: Analyzing Sentence 4

• Original Sentence: "This country's expenditure on educational reforms is very less."
• Analysis: 'Expenditure' is a non-countable noun. While 'less' is used with non-countable nouns, the phrase 'very less' is grammatically incorrect and is not standard English. 'Less' is a comparative word, so saying 'very less' is awkward. When describing a small absolute quantity of a non-countable noun, the correct phrase to use is 'very little'.
• Correct Phrasing: A grammatically correct version of this sentence would be: "This country's expenditure on educational reforms is very little."
• Grammatical Status: Incorrect.

Incorrect Sentence Identification

Based on the detailed analysis of each sentence, the sentence "This country's expenditure on educational reforms is very less" is the grammatically incorrect sentence. The error lies in the unidiomatic and incorrect usage of 'very less' instead of 'very little' to describe a small absolute quantity of a non-countable noun like 'expenditure'.