a less quantity

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "a less quantity" is not correct in standard English; it should be "a smaller quantity." You can use "a smaller quantity" when comparing amounts or sizes in a context where you want to indicate that one amount is lesser than another.
Example: "We need to order a smaller quantity of supplies this month due to budget constraints."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

Science

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

2 human-written examples

The competition, therefore, of 27,000,000 to obtain only the same or a less quantity in exchange for their articles of produce, has had the constant tendency to cause a smaller quantity of sugar to exchange for a larger quantity of goods.

The Economist

The concentration of 1.5 ml of A. niger extract produced 45.0 μg/g of andrographolide content which was slightly higher over the control and 2 ml showed 19.0 μg/g of andrographolide, a less quantity compared to respective control (21.0 μg/g).

Botanical Studies

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

57 human-written examples

"One of the challenges we have is selling a concept that certainly provides less quantity," Mr. Kirk said.

The New York Times

Despite the fact that an infant (of lower body weight) consumes less quantity of water compared to an adult (of higher body weight); an infant would take more of these toxic elements in water than an adult by five times.

Environmental Systems Research

The results indicated that the nano sized γ-alumina possessed a maximum defluoridation efficiency of 96%% with the use of very less quantity 1g/L of γ-alumina within a short amount of time.

Applied Water Science

The serve is a less certain quantity because she has not yet used her altered action with a really big win hinging on the outcome, and her self-belief, after 10 months out, is still more of an unknown.

The Guardian - Sport

The impacts of artificial ageing on the insufficiently washed photographs on resin coated paper may also reflect a more realistic scenario, comparable to that found in a real collection, with a less extreme quantity of residual thiosulfate leading to silver migration alongside silver sulfide formation and subtler colour differences.

Heritage Science

To further characterize the presence of other mucins in the culture, MUC4 and MUC16 membrane mucins were tested, which are also present in these cultures; however, they are not glycosylated and were observed in a less significant quantity.

BioMed Research International

Sodium is a silver white metallic element and found in less quantity in water.

Environmental Systems Research

"What we wanted to do is bring back less quantity but more quality, to deliver a message to the people that it's about doing a party together.

Vice

We hypothesized that a protein important for virulence should be expressed in less quantity at low temperature for not virulent strains, and in more quantity for virulent ones at low temperatures; therefore most protein spots that fit the criteria were selected for sequencing.

BMC Genomics

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When aiming for grammatical correctness, always use "smaller" instead of "less" when referring to countable quantities. For example, prefer "a smaller quantity of items" over "a less quantity of items".

Common error

Avoid using "less" with countable nouns. "Less" is typically used with uncountable nouns (e.g., "less water", "less time"), whereas "fewer" or "smaller quantity" should be used with countable nouns (e.g., "fewer apples", "a smaller quantity of items").

Linguistic Context

The phrase "a less quantity" functions as a determiner phrase modifying a noun. While grammatically questionable, it aims to specify an amount that is smaller compared to something else. However, as Ludwig AI points out, "smaller quantity" is the proper alternative.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

Science

63%

News & Media

33%

Formal & Business

3%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, while the phrase "a less quantity" is occasionally found in various sources, including news and scientific publications, it's generally considered grammatically incorrect. The preferred and more accurate alternative is "a smaller quantity". As confirmed by Ludwig AI, sticking to "smaller" ensures clarity and correctness, especially in formal writing. Be mindful to use "fewer" instead of "less" with countable nouns. So, aim for quality over incorrect phrasing, and your writing will shine!

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

a smaller quantity

Replaces "less" with "smaller", which is the grammatically correct comparative adjective for countable nouns.

a reduced amount

Substitutes "quantity" with "amount", and "less" with "reduced", focusing on a decrease in the total.

a lower quantity

Replaces "less" with "lower", which is a more straightforward way to indicate a smaller amount.

a diminished quantity

Uses "diminished" to emphasize the reduction in quantity, suggesting a significant decrease.

a lesser quantity

Employs "lesser" as an alternative adjective, implying a reduction in size or importance.

a smaller volume

Focuses specifically on volume as the measure, implying a reduction in space occupied.

a decreased volume

Emphasizes volume reduction, highlighting spatial dimension, less abstract.

a reduced number

Specifically refers to a decrease in numerical count.

a smaller magnitude

Implies a reduction in scale or size, often in an abstract or impactful sense.

a dwindling quantity

Suggests that the quantity is decreasing over time.

FAQs

What's the proper way to refer to a reduced amount of something countable?

Instead of saying "a less quantity", the correct phrase is "a smaller quantity" when referring to countable items or amounts.

Is "less" or "fewer" correct when discussing countable items?

When referring to countable items, "fewer" is generally more appropriate. For example, "fewer resources" is preferable to "less resources". For quantities as a noun use "a smaller quantity".

What can I say instead of "a less quantity"?

You can use alternatives like "a smaller quantity", "a reduced amount", or "a lower quantity" depending on the context.

When should I use "less" versus "fewer"?

"Less" is typically used with uncountable nouns (e.g., less water, less time), while "fewer" is used with countable nouns (e.g., fewer apples, fewer cars). Use "a smaller quantity" to refer to an amount of countable things.