less tendencies

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "less tendencies" is not correct in standard written English.
The correct expression would typically be "fewer tendencies" since "tendencies" is a countable noun. Example: "The new training program has resulted in fewer tendencies toward procrastination among employees."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

Computers & Chemical Engineering

News & Media

Encyclopedias

Science

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

The methodology was compared to a conventional parameter estimation method and it was concluded that the proposed method achieved a 32% lower residual sum of squares but also that it displayed less tendencies to converge to a local minima.

Computers & Chemical Engineering

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

58 human-written examples

More stars means less tendency to roll.

The New York Times

Bell is more compact now, with less tendency to plant his front foot early and drive away from his body.

The Guardian - Sport

Hindered phenols, another antioxidant class, are less powerful than amines but have less tendency to stain light-coloured rubber compounds.

Encyclopedia Britannica

If this were more widely understood, there would be less tolerance of these crimes and less tendency to blame or punish the already victimized.

The New York Times

The new ax would sink deeper for a given blow while delivering a clean and broad cut; its smooth bit, more shock resistant than the former flaked edge, had less tendency to wedge in a cut.

Encyclopedia Britannica

If the surface is cooled and the air above it warmed, there is less tendency for air from near the surface to rise; reduced convection will tend to lead to fewer clouds and reduced rainfall.

The Economist

And political loyalty demands that one defend the positions held by one's own party; the political arena comes to feel like a permanent war zone, and dissent equals betrayal.Multi-party systems have much less tendency to turn issues into these sorts of Manichaean contests.

The Economist

Branched molecules had less tendency to change their orientation under the flow.

Tribology International

The two epimers revealed different conformations at the air/water interface resulting in a more or less tendency for a bent or a stretched conformation.

Chemistry and Physics of Lipids

Consistently, PKM2 R399E is less active than PKM2 WT and less tendency to form R-state tetramer in the presence of FBP.

Protein & Cell

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When discussing countable inclinations, use "fewer tendencies" instead of "less tendencies" to adhere to standard English grammar. For example: "The new policy resulted in fewer tendencies towards absenteeism."

Common error

Avoid using "less" with countable nouns like "tendencies". "Less" is for uncountable nouns. The correct word is "fewer". Using "less" in this context is a common grammatical error.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "less tendencies" functions as a modifier expressing a reduced inclination or likelihood. However, Ludwig AI indicates it is grammatically incorrect, as 'tendencies' is a countable noun, therefore "fewer" should be used instead of "less".

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

Science

36%

News & Media

22%

Wiki

9%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

7%

Formal & Business

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, while the phrase "less tendencies" appears in various contexts, including science, news media and encyclopedias, it's grammatically incorrect in standard English. Ludwig AI analysis confirms that "fewer" should be used with countable nouns like 'tendencies'. Therefore, it's best to opt for alternatives like "fewer tendencies" or "reduced inclination", particularly in formal writing, to maintain grammatical accuracy and clarity. The frequency of this expression is rare, suggesting that correct alternatives are preferred in most contexts.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

lower tendencies

Replaces "less" with "lower", maintaining the meaning but with a slightly different emphasis on the degree of inclination.

fewer tendencies

Corrects the grammatical error by using "fewer" instead of "less" with the countable noun "tendencies".

lesser tendencies

Substitutes "less" with "lesser", offering a more formal synonym that still indicates a reduction in inclination.

reduced inclination

Replaces "tendencies" with "inclination" and uses "reduced" instead of "less", focusing on the overall reduction.

decreased likelihood

Shifts the focus to "likelihood" instead of "tendencies", using "decreased" to denote a reduction in probability.

diminished propensity

Uses more formal terms like "diminished" and "propensity" to express a similar concept of reduced inclination.

weakened disposition

Employs "weakened disposition" to convey a reduced natural tendency or inclination towards something.

limited inclination

Indicates that the inclination is restrained or not as strong, using the adjective "limited".

smaller inclination

Indicates the inclination is of a minor magnitude, by using the adjective "smaller".

less trend

Changes the term to "trend", which may be suitable in some contexts but is less specific than "tendencies".

FAQs

Is it grammatically correct to say "less tendencies"?

No, it is not grammatically correct. "Tendencies" is a countable noun, so you should use "fewer" instead of "less". The correct phrase is "fewer tendencies".

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

"Less" is used with uncountable nouns, while "fewer" is used with countable nouns. Since "tendencies" is countable, the correct phrase is "fewer tendencies". Using "less tendencies" is a grammatical error.

What are some alternatives to "less tendencies" that are grammatically correct?

Grammatically correct alternatives include "fewer tendencies", "lower tendencies", or "reduced inclination". The best choice depends on the specific context.

How can I avoid making the mistake of using "less" with countable nouns?

Remember that "less" is for uncountable nouns (e.g., less water, less time), while "fewer" is for countable nouns (e.g., fewer apples, fewer opportunities). If you can count the items, use "fewer".