less assists

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "less assists" is not correct in standard written English.
It may be intended to convey a reduction in the number of assists, but the phrasing is awkward and unclear. Example: "The team had less assists this season compared to last season."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

Not just me, if you look at our best players, such as Mesut [Özil] who made less assists after the turn of the year [16 before January and four after].

The Guardian - Sport

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

59 human-written examples

"Paying more for local builds, without sufficient strategic defence and spillover benefits to offset the additional cost, diverts productive resources (labour, capital and land) away from relatively more efficient (less assisted) uses," the report says.

The Guardian - Business

After treatment of the underlying lung damage leading to a further reduction in invasive mechanical ventilation (FiO2 less than 0.5, PEEP 12 cmH2oror less, assisted spontaneous breathing) weaning from the iLA-system was initiated by starting a 'cessation trial' (reduction of iLA sweep oxygen gas flow to 1 L/minute) for a duration of two hours.

Critical Care

Xandra couldn't care less about assists or rebounds.

TechCrunch

Parks arranged for Caring Transitions to move them to the Wentworth, a less expensive assisted-living facility.

The New Yorker

To determine the magnitude of improvement in semen parameters after a varicocelectomy and the fraction that have improvements such that couples needing IVF or IUI are "upgraded" to needing less invasive assisted reproductive technology (ART).

Fertility and Sterility

If renters opted not to buy their building, the sale would be subject to a tax of 1percentt or less to assist tenants who face displacement locally.

Huffington Post

Asylum seekers were also more often given a psychiatric diagnosis, but were less often assisted by an interpreter.

BMC Health Services Research

Despite the considerable amount of evidence regarding the potential of variable ventilation to promote lung recruitment, this mechanism is probably less during assisted ventilation.

Critical Care

In both periods and for both groups of women midwives were less often assisting non-spontaneous births and births during out-of-office hours.

BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth

Many women also report low degree of involvement in the reindeer-herding work compared with the men as well as less appreciation, assist, and reward for the work they are doing (32, 44, 45).

Global Health Action

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Consider rephrasing to "reduced assists" for a more natural flow in certain contexts, while still ensuring grammatical correctness.

Common error

Avoid using "less" with countable nouns like "assists". "Less" is for uncountable nouns (e.g., "less water", "less effort"). The correct term for countable nouns is "fewer" (e.g., "fewer assists", "fewer mistakes").

Linguistic Context

The phrase "less assists" functions as a descriptor indicating a reduction in the number of assists. However, it's grammatically questionable as confirmed by Ludwig AI, since "assists" is a countable noun.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

36%

Science

64%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Academia

0%

Wiki

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, while the phrase "less assists" might be encountered, it is grammatically incorrect. As Ludwig AI points out, the proper phrasing should be "fewer assists" because "assists" is a countable noun. Usage contexts range from news and media to scientific articles. To ensure clarity and grammatical accuracy, opt for "fewer assists" or consider alternative phrasings like "reduced assists" or "decreased assists".

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

fewer assists

Uses "fewer" which is grammatically correct for countable nouns like assists.

reduced assists

Employs "reduced" to indicate a decrease in the number of assists.

decreased assists

Substitutes "decreased" to signify a decline in the number of assists.

lower assist numbers

Rephrases to focus on the numerical value of assists being lower.

a drop in assists

Uses "a drop" to describe a reduction in assists.

fewer successful passes

Changes the terminology to reflect the outcome of fewer assist attempts.

decline in playmaking

Focuses on the playmaking aspect that leads to assists.

diminished assist rate

Highlights the rate at which assists are made, which has decreased.

assistance decline

Simplifies the phrase to broadly indicate a decrease in assistance provided.

less support

Generalizes to mean reduced support, which can encompass assists.

FAQs

Is it grammatically correct to say "less assists"?

No, it is not grammatically correct. Since "assists" is a countable noun, you should use "fewer assists" instead of "less assists".

What's the difference between "less" and "fewer"?

"Less" is used with uncountable nouns (e.g., water, time), while "fewer" is used with countable nouns (e.g., apples, assists). Therefore, use "fewer assists" not "less assists".

What are some alternatives to saying "less assists"?

Besides "fewer assists", you can use phrases like "reduced assists" or "decreased assists" to indicate a reduction in the number of assists.

How can I use "fewer assists" in a sentence?

You can say, "The team had fewer assists this season compared to last season", or "The player recorded fewer assists in the last game".