less*/*/*/

[les]

grammar word summary: Less can be: ■ a determiner: Schools put less emphasis on being creative. ■ a pronoun: Connie did less than anyone else. ♦ He seemed to spend less of his time with her. ■ an adverb: The red jacket is less expensive.

1) a smaller amount

Ant:

more

You should eat less and exercise more.[/ex]

The industry operates with less government control these days.[/ex]

The new Ford is designed to use less fuel than earlier models.[/ex]

I aim to spend less of my time travelling.[/ex]

I wish you'd do a bit less talking and a bit more work.[/ex]

2) to a smaller degree, or not as often

Ant:

more

We've been trying to use the telephone less this month.[/ex]

The homework was less difficult than I expected.[/ex]

My husband worries about things less than I do.[/ex]

We talk a lot less than we used to.[/ex]

•

less and less — gradually getting smaller in amount or degree[/ex]

Fishing was growing less and less profitable.[/ex]

the less...the less/more — used for saying that when a particular activity, feeling etc is reduced, it causes something else to change at the same time[/ex]

Sometimes it seems like the less I do, the more tired I feel.[/ex]

no less than — used before a number or amount for showing that it is large and surprising[/ex]

Exports have risen by no less than 80% in the last ten years.[/ex]

Both fewer and less can be used to refer to an amount that is smaller than another amount. ■ Use fewer before plural nouns: Fewer people turned up than expected. ■ Use less before uncountable nouns: You'll get a smoother finish if you use less paint. ■ In informal English, some people now use less rather than fewer before plural nouns, although many people think that this is not correct.