I do. I love this SO much, I'm going to make everyone I know read it. Everyone I know! Plus a bunch of people I don't know, but who post comments and reviews online in places where I come across them, and read them, and then gag a little:
Once everybody's up to speed on those, we'll start on a few slightly finer points. Number and amount go along with fewer and less. Same deal — if you can count it, use number. If you can't, use amount. It's not (ever), "The amount of cars that use the bridge…" or "The amount of people who…."
And while we're talking about people, remember that they're a who, not a what. Or, more properly, a that. It's "The number of people who…," not "The number of people that…." (You'd get credit for the number part of the sentence but, really, why not keep going and get the whole thing right?)
Yeah, I know, it's a little pickier (and it is 'pickier,' not 'more picky,' and maybe sometime we'll talk about the comparative form of two syllable words ending in 'y') and a lot more subtle. But as one who dies a little every time I see one of those mistakes, my heart is singing.
Seriously. Everyone I know.
No comments:
Post a Comment