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Pedants' corner

Oi! Carol Smillie on the Finish advert!

3 replies

MardyBra · 05/09/2014 15:55

It's "fewer" chemicals, not "less" chemicals. I might switch to Fairy in protest.

Seeing as it's pedants' corner, can anyone advise me if that's how you spell "oi".

OP posts:
DadDadDad · 05/09/2014 23:14

Are you sure about this one? Could it not be that it uses the same number of chemicals but in smaller amounts so there is less chemical content?

This might genuinely be a case where less and fewer make a helpful distinction.

DadDadDad · 05/09/2014 23:15

I should add I've not seen the ad, so you may well be right, I was just wondering!

pigsDOfly · 06/09/2014 01:04

No DadDadDad, she doesn't say anything about there being less chemical content, just that it contains 'less chemicals' so clearly she should be using the word fewer.

Although, why it's considered a good thing that Finish contains fewer chemicals nowadays only the people who make it can know. Did it contain a dangerously high amount before? What were these chemicals and what difference has removing them made to the product?

Not really relevant to your OP MardyBra, but it does annoy me when advertisers make meaningless statement like this. It's an insult to our collective intelligence. Do they imagine we're all going to nod our heads knowingly and agree that fewer chemicals is a good thing and that taking out a few chemicals somehow makes the product healthier. It's all bloody chemicals fgs.

Oh, and yes, that probably is how you spell oi.

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