Less vs Fewer Exercises

Fewer is for countable plural nouns and less is for uncountable nouns — a rule that mirrors the much/many distinction. "There are fewer students this year" (countable — you can count students) and "There is less traffic today" (uncountable — you cannot count traffic). Both words are used in comparisons to show a smaller amount than before: "fewer mistakes than last time," "less sugar than the recipe says."

In everyday spoken English, many native speakers use "less" for both types: "less people," "less options." This is widely considered informal and is marked as incorrect in formal writing and examinations. Supermarket signs famously say "10 items or less" when strict grammar requires "10 items or fewer." For Cambridge B1-B2 exams and formal contexts, always apply the rule: fewer with countable plurals, less with uncountable nouns. The exception is measurements treated as a single unit: "less than five kilometres" and "less than three hours" are correct because the distance or time is seen as one block, not individual items. Recognising this distinction sharpens both your writing accuracy and your exam performance.