Pet peeves about grammar seem trite and ridiculous to most people.  Yet, I always seem to find a few who share my propensity for noticing poor grammar usage.  This doesn’t mean my grammar is perfect, by the way.  This means I am striving to make my grammar better, and I would appreciate it if more people did the same.

A few nights ago, I posted a status update on Facebook about my grammar pet peeve regarding the incorrect use of “less” when the word “fewer” should be used.  I received 13 comments–grammar nerds unite!  The simple rule for the correct use of less or fewer is this: if you can count the items in question, use fewer.

Examples:

Fewer people came to the party than the host was expecting.

There was less macaroni salad than potato salad.

There are fewer marbles in the box than game pieces.

You get the idea.

Now, onto good versus well.

Good is an adjective.  Well is an adverb.

The answer to the question, “How are you doing?” is well, not good.

When complimenting someone on his performance at a sporting event, one would say, “Wow, you really hit that ball well!”  Not, “You did good!” (Add hick accent in your mind to make this more authentic.)

If you want more grammar tips, I recommend Grammar Girl.