Jun 9, 2010 10:22
14 yrs ago
1 viewer *
English term

many fewer concerns

English Other General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters
Could anyone help me on this one?
Could this mean 'many minor concerns' or 'less concerns' or none of this?

Thanks, and here's the context (sorry if it's too basic, but I can't figure out):

The kidnappings of foreigners raised ***many fewer concerns*** for the local population (and such kidnappings were also more embarrassing to the government than kidnappings of locals would have been).

Responses

+8
3 mins
Selected

fewer concerns

Because it was foreigners who were being kidnapped, the local population was less concerned (but "fewer concerns" is correct English) than if they had been kidnappings of local people.
Peer comment(s):

agree Filippe Vasconcellos de Freitas Guimarães : Yes indeed. "Far fewer" probably wouldn't have raised this concern (no pun intended).
2 mins
Very true! Thanks!
agree Jack Doughty
12 mins
Thanks Jack :)
agree Fahd Hassanein
18 mins
Thanks Fahd :)
agree Jennifer Barnett
24 mins
Thanks Jennifer :)
agree Stephanie Ezrol
59 mins
Thanks Stephanie :)
agree Rolf Keiser
5 hrs
Thanks Goldcoaster :)
agree J Celeita (X)
5 hrs
agree Phong Le
15 hrs
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thanks very much everyone."
+2
22 mins

a much lower quantity of concerns

Of course what I have written as the explanation is not the English I would choose to express it - the original is much better!

Few, and the comparative fewer, are the adjectives to use with countable nouns, less for uncountables, although this distinction is blurring by the minute, in favour of less, and I imagine that few will eventually disappear from common usage. (eg most people now say "less people" rather than "fewer people").

Many is functioning as an adverb here to qualify fewer, (and, pls note, the equivalent qualifier for less would have been much - wonderful language!), and is emphatic and points to the extent of fewer. If you replace it with "noticeably" it will be clear that it is an adverb.
Peer comment(s):

agree British Diana : good explanation, thanks!
1 hr
Thank YOU!
agree Sheila Wilson : Personally, I would have written "much less concern" here as it can be an uncountable noun, too
2 hrs
Thanks Sheila.
Something went wrong...
1 hr

far fewer concerns

"Far fewer concerns" is what should have been written here, and could refer to both the quantity and the gravity of the concerns in question.
Something went wrong...
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