I’ve always been a proud (and yes, like we all are, slightly snobbish) grammar geek. I’m proud to know the difference between a jail and a prison, that to evacuate hundreds of people would be reeeeeally messy, and that they actually feel “nauseated,” not “nauseous” by my grammar snobbish behaviour.
But one definition that has always eluded me is the difference between “more than” and “over.”
My gut feeling tells me that you use “over” when it’s in reference to physical measurement properties (over six storeys high, over eight feet tall, etc.) and use “more than” for non-physical references like (more than 600 people, or more than $400,000, etc.)
Anyone want to weigh in with their understanding of the right way to use these two?
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Comments below | See also: In Plain English |
| Email this | Posted at 5:25 pm (30 Apr 2008) |
If I’m not mistaken, they’re both interchangeable. The people that insist that “over” is solely for physical properties have usually been refuted by experts such as those who write for the MLA and the Chcago Manual Style.
From my limited understanding, “more than” is the more formal use case, but either of them work fine in informal writing.
You’re right. Over is something that refers to physical objects and more than refers to time, people etc etc.
i think you’re right on that. i got corrected by another producer vetting one of my columns when i said, ‘the marathon had over 25 thousand runners.’ i was told it should be ‘more than.’
what i want to know, is why it has to be ‘AN historic event.’ why not ‘A historic event?’ and not the soft ahh, but the hard Fonzie type AAAA!
i could understand if we all spoke with cockney accents and dropped the H…but we don’t. so what gives?
‘Over’ refers to spatial relationships and can sometimes be used with numbers but generally (at least when using AP style) ‘more than’ is used with numbers. Since I haven’t touched the Canadian Press Style Guide book since school I wouldn’t consider myself on Canadian usage. Enjoy!
Examples:
The plane flew over Vancouver
My salary jumped by more than $15K
Either ‘over’ or ‘more than’ is grammatically acceptable; the ‘more than 800 packing peanuts’/'over 100 litres of juice’ rule is just tradition more than anything else. Journalistic tradition, mind, so adhering to it could arguably make your job easier if you’re –ahem– working with journalists.
Either is acceptable, but you won’t go wrong using “more than”. The exception would be in situations where “more than” makes the sentence awkward.
As a former journalist, this is one of the bugaboos I’ve taken to the dark side in PR. “More than” was drilled into me during J-school and afterward by several precise editors for anything quantitative. Over was physical. The dictionary says either is okay. The Columbia School of Journalism’s Language Corner provides some history and context. http://www.cjr.org/resources/lc/morethan.php
I think it’s just a matter of precision, not right and wrong. If you mean “more than,” say “more than” rather than taking it into a spatial metaphor by using “over.” Precision is good.
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Disapproval of “over” to mean “more than” began in 1877. However, “over” in the sense of “more than” has been used since the 14th century. “There is no reason why you need to avoid this usage.” (Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of English Usage page 703)
“Over” should be used in relation to spacial aspects such as heights and distances. It can sometimes be used with numbers (but not numbers of people, is my preference). “More than” is clearer English in many cases.
Let’s look at “fewer” and “less.” “Fewer” relates to multiple items and “less” relates to a single thing, as I use them. “Less” time, versus “fewer” people in the queue. One could use “less” in relation to money, as it denotes a commodity. “Less” money in the bank, or “fewer” dollars to spend.
I think grammar is a great tool but a person will likely speak one way and write another.