So today’s post is more about some of the language missteps
they and others occasionally make when describing plays, giving statistics, and
making on-air predictions. Those of us not in the sports industry make these
same mistakes in other areas of our personal or professional lives as we communicate, so the
following observations apply to us as well; this is not a condemnation of
sports officials or anyone else. My focus is on the areas of quantity,
distance, and comparison.
Quantity
Fewer vs. Less. “Fewer”
refers to things that one can count or quantify, while “less” deals with
uncountable, intangible, or abstract things.
There are fewer players (not less players) on a basketball
team than on a football team. Some footballs have less air in them than others,
and the ones with less air have fewer pounds of air. The losing team will score
fewer points than the winning team; as a result, the losing team may have less
of a chance to win the championship. A football game usually lasts fewer than
four hours, and it certainly lasts less than a day.
Number vs. Amount.
“Number” refers to countable things; “amount” is about all things uncountable. The:
- number of days in the week
- number of seats in a football stadium - number of fans in attendance at today’s game
- number of players on a team
- number of passes in a game
- total number of points scored in the season
- number of beverage coolers used during a game
- tremendous amount of the fans’ enthusiasm
- huge amount of pressure on the coach to have a winning season
- high amount of confidence one team has over its opponent
- large amount of liquids drunk by the players during the game
Distance
Farther vs. Further.
Think of “farther” as a physical distance; remember that and you’ll be
ok. “Further” is used when talking about nonphysical or figurative distances,
or when meaning “additional.”
Team A’s quarterback throws passes that are longer and
farther downfield than does his counterpart on Team B. The coach tells his
players that they have to do more work each week if the team is to further its
chances to enter the playoffs. Do your daily drills, and you’ll run farther
faster; and furthermore, you’ll be appreciated by a greater number of fans who
will have huge amounts of loyalty.
Comparison
Good, Better, and
Best; and Great, Greater, and Greatest. Usually good and great stand by
themselves, as in “This company is great. That product is good. This football
season is going to be great.” Kick it up a notch when comparing something with one
other thing, as in “our company is greater than his, that product is greater
than its predecessor, or our kicker is better than theirs.”
The superlatives “best” and “greatest” are used when
comparing one thing against two or more other things: this season will
be the best and greatest of all seasons in the past twenty years. Our team is
the best in its division.
Note that when comparing things, always indicate to what
they are being compared. It’s confusing to a listener or reader when someone
says “that punter is better” or “that punter is the best.” Better than who? The
best of what?
Than vs. Then. “Than”
is the comparative word, and “then” is related to time.
This quarterback can probably throw the ball farther than
the fullback can throw it. A quarterback takes the ball and then he throws it, tosses
it, runs with it, or fumbles it. If a team is winning by 30 points in the final
minute of a game, then it will win the game because it is playing so much better
than the other team.
Between vs. Among.
These words aren’t really comparisons (they’re prepositions), but I am going to
mention them anyway. Use the word “between” when referring to two things, and
use “among” when three or more things are involved.
After the player fumbles the football, we watch a private
conversation between the coach and the player. During said conversation, there
is some tension among the other players on the team. If fans had to choose between
two players to be the player of the game, then they would choose the receiver,
because he caught a record-shattering number of passes. However, among the
remaining forty or so players on the team, all of them are great players,
though it is difficult to say who are among the greatest.
Thanks for your time today, and I wish you a great upcoming
week.
Randall Ponder, Baton Rouge, Louisiana USA www.editing-expert.com
https://www.twitter.com/randallponder @randallponder
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