There were less than 20 students vs There were fewer than 20 students

Both phrases are correct, but they are used in different contexts. 'There were less than 20 students' is commonly used in informal speech, while 'There were fewer than 20 students' is more appropriate for formal or written contexts. The choice between 'less' and 'fewer' depends on whether the noun being modified is countable or uncountable.

Last updated: March 17, 2024 • 3735 views

There were less than 20 students

This phrase is commonly used in informal speech.

This phrase is used when referring to an amount of something that is not countable, such as time, money, or a collective noun like 'students.'

Examples:

There were less than 10 minutes left in the game.
I have less than $20 in my wallet.
There were less than 50 people at the concert.

Show examples from the web [+]

There were less than 20 students in my seminar, which allowed for debates, close – knit conversations, and an overall “family” type setting. Everyone in the ...
Aug 1, 2013 ... There were less than 20 students in my seminar, which allowed for debates, close – knit conversations, and an overall “family” type setting.
2 days ago ... When he arrived at the school four years ago, there were less than 20 students in the music program. This year, there are nearly 100.
... soil) visited the permanent site on Thursday the 7th of May, 2015 at about 5:15 pm and there were less than 20 students on campus when the visitors arrived.

Alternatives:

there was a small number of students
there were not many students
there were only a few students
there were a limited number of students
there were a small group of students

There were fewer than 20 students

This phrase is more appropriate for formal or written contexts.

This phrase is used when referring to a countable noun, such as 'students,' where the quantity can be individually counted.

Examples:

There were fewer than 5 people in the room.
I ate fewer than 3 cookies.
There were fewer than 10 cars in the parking lot.

Show examples from the web [+]

Aug 17, 2015 ... ... and it was late in the afternoon, and there were fewer than 20 students, and there were no blowhards or suck-ups or preeners or buffoons or ...
His teachers were great, he had many friends, and he got a lot of attention because there were fewer than 20 students in his class. Then on Friday, Oct. 25, out of ...
Nov 27, 2013 ... His teachers were great, he had many friends, and he got a lot of attention because there were fewer than 20 students in his class. Then on ...
6 days ago ... For many children, there were fewer than 20 students in their class. For plenty of other children, there were over 25 and sometimes over 30.

Alternatives:

there was a small number of students
there were not many students
there were only a few students
there were a limited number of students
there were a small group of students

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There were less than 20 students vs There were fewer than 20 students