Do you have any wine? All of this would go a lot smoother in an altered state of reality. Posts: 779 | From: Southampton, England | Registered: Nov 2005
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Richard W
Ding Dong! Merrily on High Definition TV
posted
I would say "fewer emissions" but that doesn't really sound right either. Would "a lower level of emissions" fit?
(edit) Or "a lower level of emission"...?
Posts: 8725 | From: Ipswich - the UK's 9th Best Place to Sleep! | Registered: Feb 2000
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-------------------- This is where I come up with something right? Something really clever... Posts: 6552 | From: UK | Registered: Oct 2002
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posted
"Fewer" is correct, but "lower" or "reduced" are good, too, if they fit.
-------------------- Only when we remake ourselves can we remake the world. - Outer Limits (2001) Posts: 559 | From: Santa Cruz, CA | Registered: Aug 2006
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posted
"Reduced" is, IMO, the best fit for this particular usage.
-------------------- How homophobic do you have to be to have penguin gaydar? - Lewis Black Posts: 8322 | From: Columbus, OH | Registered: Aug 2005
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Richard W
Ding Dong! Merrily on High Definition TV
posted
Jay Tea's is best... I should have thought of that. Bah. This sort of thing is meant to be my job.
Posts: 8725 | From: Ipswich - the UK's 9th Best Place to Sleep! | Registered: Feb 2000
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posted
Reduced won't really work in this context, because it's in comparison to other systems. Basically 'ours results in fewer/less emissions than others'. Lower would work, though.
Do you have any wine? All of this would go a lot smoother in an altered state of reality. Posts: 779 | From: Southampton, England | Registered: Nov 2005
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-------------------- On my old guitar sell tickets, so someone can finally pick it. Posts: 799 | From: Dublin, Ireland | Registered: Mar 2006
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Do you have any wine? All of this would go a lot smoother in an altered state of reality. Posts: 779 | From: Southampton, England | Registered: Nov 2005
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posted
In that context, I agree that "lower" is better than "fewer." "Fewer" emissions, to me, would seem to refer to types or sources of emissions, while "lower" seems more appropriate to refer to the level of emissions.
-------------------- How homophobic do you have to be to have penguin gaydar? - Lewis Black Posts: 8322 | From: Columbus, OH | Registered: Aug 2005
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Sara at home
Ding Dong! Merrily on High Definition TV
posted
Less emission. Fewer emissions.
-------------------- Assume that all my posts will be edited at least once. Dyslexic -- can't spell, can't type, can't proofread. Posts: 8317 | From: Reading, PA | Registered: Mar 2004
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It should (in my twisted mind), "Resulting in lower emissions," or "Results in lowered emissions."
If there are less at the end, they have been lowered rather than lower... and if they are still in the process of falling, they are lower.
Clear as mud?
-------------------- Opinions aren't excuses to remain ignorant about subjects, nor are they excuses to never examine one's beliefs & prejudices...
Babies are like tattoos. You see other peoples' & they're cool, but yours is never as good & you can't get rid of it. Posts: 5622 | From: Jax, Florida | Registered: Nov 2003
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posted
"Produced fewer emissions" means that the plant produced one of the following:
1) A reduction in total emissions 2) The regular amount of any one kind of emission, but less different kinds.
"Produced less emissions" means only one thing:
1) That emissions are continuous (like water, so you can't only have one emission), and that the plant produced less of it.
However I don't really know the answer to Silas's question. Can you have 1 emission? If so, then "fewer" works, but people could be confused. And "less" is misleading.
If you cannot have 1 emission, use "less".
-------------------- "For me, religion is like a rhinoceros: I don't have one, and I'd really prefer not to be trampled by yours. But it is impressive, and even beautiful, and, to be honest, the world would be slightly worse off if there weren't any." -Silas Sparkhammer Posts: 3239 | From: Ontario, Canada | Registered: Sep 2003
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quote:Originally posted by LeaflessMapleTree: Can you have 1 emission?
Yes, but not every night.
Silas
Gaaaaaah! Ya got me.
-------------------- "For me, religion is like a rhinoceros: I don't have one, and I'd really prefer not to be trampled by yours. But it is impressive, and even beautiful, and, to be honest, the world would be slightly worse off if there weren't any." -Silas Sparkhammer Posts: 3239 | From: Ontario, Canada | Registered: Sep 2003
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posted
Either 'less' or 'fewer' works. The myth that only 'fewer' can be used with a count noun is really the sort of thing we should discourage on this board.
Posts: 1699 | From: New York | Registered: Oct 2002
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quote:Originally posted by Steve: Either 'less' or 'fewer' works. The myth that only 'fewer' can be used with a count noun is really the sort of thing we should discourage on this board.
I drank fewer milk than Johnny drank. He has less quarters than I have.
Those sentences don't sound correct to me. What am I missing? Thanks.
-------------------- "This air we're breathing. Oxygen, isn't it?"~I’mNotDedalus, impersonating Vincent D’Onofrio.|"Sometimes trying to communicate can be like walking through a minefield."~wanderwoman "Give people a break. It's not easy doing a life."~Joshua Halberstam Posts: 4020 | From: Oklahoma | Registered: Nov 2005
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quote:Originally posted by Signora Del Drago, G.R.I.T.S.:
quote:Originally posted by Steve: Either 'less' or 'fewer' works. The myth that only 'fewer' can be used with a count noun is really the sort of thing we should discourage on this board.
I drank fewer milk than Johnny drank. He has less quarters than I have.
Those sentences don't sound correct to me. What am I missing? Thanks.
As far as your first sentence goes, you're missing nothing. To the best of my knowledge, no native speaker of English would ever use it. With a noncount noun, I think I'm correct in saying that only 'less' works. No one disputes that.
But does 'less quarters' sound wrong to you? It doesn't sound wrong to me. And to judge from the amount of times I hear 'less' used before a noncount noun, I'd assume it doesn't sound wrong to many native speakers. If a rule against using 'less' with a noncount noun exists, I have to wonder where such a rule came from. Oh, and I have to wonder if anyone's ever had a post using the word 'noncount' so many times before. Posts: 1699 | From: New York | Registered: Oct 2002
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These references only say the use of "fewer" for items that can be counted is "traditional," which doesn't necessarily mean "wrong." few less It still sounds wrong, to me, though.
-------------------- "This air we're breathing. Oxygen, isn't it?"~I’mNotDedalus, impersonating Vincent D’Onofrio.|"Sometimes trying to communicate can be like walking through a minefield."~wanderwoman "Give people a break. It's not easy doing a life."~Joshua Halberstam Posts: 4020 | From: Oklahoma | Registered: Nov 2005
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