Grammar Nerd: Different From vs. Different Than – Fewer vs. Less – Who vs. Whom

Different From vs. Different Than…Fewer vs. Less…Who vs. Whom

I just love these requests that come to me! It gives me joy to know that there are indeed other grammar nerds out there!

OK. On the issue of different from vs. different than, the choice is almost always “from”. When comparing, something is different from something else. Period. As grammar tends to present to us: Sometimes using from is appropriate when the sentence would get a little too wordy: The situation is a lot different today than it was yesterday. The alternative might seem awkward, yet it is still quite acceptable: The situation is a lot different today from how it was yesterday. Another beautiful choice given to you courtesy of the English language!

Now: Fewer vs. Less. An easy way to remember is that fewer is used when you can count or itemize the nouns in the sentence, and it is followed by a plural noun. This recipe has fewer ingredients…the candidate received fewer votes…used fewer coupons at the grocery store… On the contrary, less refers to a degree, and it is followed by a singular noun. Less time to finish…gave less effort…showed less motivation… So, do you see why, then, it is fewer dollars, but less money? Yes, you can count money, but not as a noun in a sentence. Ingredients can be itemized in the sentence—same as votes and coupons. You could not itemize the money in someone’s hand, though you could itemize the dollars. Ah, love the English language!

Another writer wants me to talk about Who vs. Whom. Another good one!

Who is used as a subject: Who is going with you? Who gave you permission? In both of these examples, who could be replaced with a person’s name, hence a proper noun, hence a subject. The who rules apply to whoever: Whoever finishes first wins. These are all subjects of the sentence with the verbs immediately following who/whoever.

Whom is an object. Of whom are you speaking? Whom is the object of the preposition of. Remember the old To Whom It May Concern as we were learning how to draft letters? Give this to whomever you choose. Whom and whomever both are used as the objects of the preposition to.

I would liken “whom” to “I” in an earlier column that I wrote: I think that often people think that whom sounds more proper and so use it incorrectly. Substitute whom in all of the examples of who above, and you will see what I mean! You know that you hear people talk this way. Hey, maybe it has even been you, but hopefully now you know better!

Keep ’em coming! If you have a question, if something is tripping you up in the world of grammar, send me an email. I will do my best to help you! grammar.nerd@yahoo.com.

Sydnee Bagovich provides professional proofreading services for your business: websites, brochures, presentations… You write it. She makes it right. You can reach her at grammar.nerd@yahoo.com.