Less
We use the quantifier less to talk about reduced quantities, amounts or degree. Less is a comparative word.
Less: position
We use less with different classes of words. We use less after verbs but before every other word class:
- [talking about a car]
- This model consumes less fuel. (less + noun)
- [sign on a bus]
- Give up this seat to someone less able to stand. (less + adjective)
- Second class post arrives less quickly than first class. (less + adverb)
- It costs less to go by bus than by train. (verb + less)
See also
- Determiners (the, my, some, this)
- Little, a little, few, a few
Less with nouns
We use less on its own with singular uncountable nouns:
- You’ve got less chance of passing if you don’t work hard.
- Small local shops can be more expensive and can have less choice.
Less of
Whenever we use less before articles (a/an, the), demonstratives (this, that), possessives (my, your) or pronouns (him, it), we need of:
- Doctors and nutritionists always seem to be telling us to eat less of the food we enjoy.
- There was less of a crowd at the match today than at last week’s.
- We see less of them since they moved away.
Less without a noun (as a pronoun)
We usually leave out the noun after less when the noun is understood:
- That’s too much pasta for me. Can I have less? (less pasta)
Less and less
We often use less and less to emphasise a decrease in something:
- Ever since I met you, my work has seemed less and less important.
- I’ve been sleeping less and less.