Directions : In the following questions a particular word is provided. Four sentences have been framed, one of which makes use of the word correctly. You are required to select the correct option and mark your response on the Answer Sheet accordingly.‘Less’

Question

CDS - 2022

Directions : In the following questions a particular word is provided. Four sentences have been framed, one of which makes use of the word correctly. You are required to select the correct option and mark your response on the Answer Sheet accordingly.

‘Less’

This question was previously asked in

CDS I 2022 English Previous Year Paper (10-April-2022)

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There are less than fourteen people attending the seminar.

Less states are fulfilling the targets set by the union ministry.

There is less sugar in the tea than what I asked for.

There are very less days left before the examinations begin.

The correct answer is

There is less sugar in the tea than what I asked for.

Understanding the Usage of 'Less' in English

This question asks us to identify the sentence where the word 'less' is used correctly. To do this, we need to understand the difference between 'less' and 'fewer'. This is a common point of confusion in English grammar.

Generally, the rule is:

Less is used with uncountable nouns (also known as mass nouns). These are things you can't count individually, like water, sand, time, money, sugar, advice, information.
Fewer is used with countable nouns (also known as count nouns). These are things you can count individually, like people, apples, books, cars, states, days.

Let's analyze each option based on this rule.

Analyzing Each Sentence Using 'Less'

Option 1: "There are less than fourteen people attending the seminar."
The noun here is 'people'. 'People' is a countable noun (you can count one person, two people, etc.). Therefore, 'fewer' should be used instead of 'less'. The correct phrasing would be "There are fewer than fourteen people...".
This sentence uses 'less' incorrectly.
Option 2: "Less states are fulfilling the targets set by the union ministry."
The noun here is 'states'. 'States' is a countable noun (you can count one state, two states, etc.). Therefore, 'fewer' should be used instead of 'less'. The correct phrasing would be "Fewer states are fulfilling...".
This sentence uses 'less' incorrectly.
Option 3: "There is less sugar in the tea than what I asked for."
The noun here is 'sugar'. 'Sugar' is generally treated as an uncountable noun (you can't count individual grains easily; you measure it by weight or volume). Therefore, 'less' is used correctly here.
This sentence uses 'less' correctly.
Option 4: "There are very less days left before the examinations begin."
The noun here is 'days'. 'Days' is a countable noun (you can count one day, two days, etc.). Therefore, 'fewer' should be used instead of 'less'. The correct phrasing would be "There are very few days left..." or "There are fewer days left...". Using 'less' here is incorrect.
This sentence uses 'less' incorrectly.

Why Option 3 Correctly Uses 'Less'

Based on our analysis, Option 3 is the only sentence that uses 'less' with an uncountable noun ('sugar'). The other options use 'less' with countable nouns ('people', 'states', 'days'), where 'fewer' would be the correct word.

Revision Table: Less vs Fewer

Word	Used With	Examples
Less	Uncountable Nouns (Mass Nouns)	sugar, water, time, money, information, happiness
Fewer	Countable Nouns (Count Nouns)	people, apples, cars, books, days, states

Additional Information on Determiners

The choice between 'less' and 'fewer' is an example of using the correct determiner based on whether the noun is countable or uncountable. Other determiners also follow this pattern:

Much is used with uncountable nouns (e.g., much water, much time).
Many is used with countable nouns (e.g., many bottles, many hours).
Amount of is often used with uncountable nouns (e.g., a large amount of water).
Number of is used with countable nouns (e.g., a large number of bottles).

Paying attention to whether a noun is countable or uncountable is key to using these determiners correctly.

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