Where should we place "more", "less", and " fewer"?

[Peter Chung]

Where should we place more, less, and fewer in the following sentences?

1. Suppose John has 10 books and Tom has 4 books, can we say "John has 6 more books than Tom (does)" or
"Tom has 6 fewer books than John (does)"?
2. Suppose Mary has 100 dollars and Jane has 70 dollars, can we say "Mary has 30 dollars more than Jane (does)" or
"Jane has 30 dollars less than Mary (does)"?

Thanks a lot.

 

[moonlike]

Re: Where should we place "more", "less", and " fewer"?

The following sentences sound fine to me:
1. John has more books than Tom.
2. John has 6 books more than Tom.
3. Tom has fewer/less books than John.
4. Tom has 6 books fewer/less than John.

 

[Tdol]

Re: Where should we place "more", "less", and " fewer"?

1. Suppose John has 10 books and Tom has 4 books, can we say "John has 6 more books than Tom (does)" or
"Tom has 6 fewer books than John (does)"?
​

Yes

2. Suppose Mary has 100 dollars and Jane has 70 dollars, can we say "Mary has 30 dollars more than Jane (does)" or
"Jane has 30 dollars less than Mary (does)"?​

Yes

 

[5jj]

Re: Where should we place "more", "less", and " fewer"?

3. Tom has fewer/less books than John.

Although the use of 'less' with plural nouns is becoming commonplace, many still consider it to be incorrect. I would recommend that you do not use it in examinations.