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There were 50 students in the class. The teacher gave out 50 pens to the students (the students got a total of 50 pens).

The teacher gave 50 pens to every student (every student got fifty pens each).
Everyone got 50 pens, but I got 48 pens.

So, can I say "I have two pens less"

Ahsanul Irfan
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  • There needs to be a reference to what this is two pens less than. "I have two pens less than everyone else," or "I have two pens less than the 50 everyone else has received." It could be used if there is prior context: "Did you all receive exactly 50 pens? I have two pens less." // "I am two pens short" could be used as a stand-alone sentence. – Edwin Ashworth Apr 18 '18 at 07:41
  • Strictly speaking, shouldn't it be 'fewer', as pens are count nouns? – Kate Bunting Apr 18 '18 at 08:15
  • Possible duplicate of "Less" vs. "fewer" – Bread Apr 18 '18 at 08:29
  • Did the teacher give 50 pens to every student, or a total of 50 pens to the 50 students (one pen to each student)? Your current wording contradicts itself. – AndyT Apr 18 '18 at 09:22
  • All I can think now is "What the *** do you need fifty pens for?" – Mr Lister Apr 18 '18 at 10:58
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    @MrLister she meant 'pence' :-) – Pablo Descamisado Apr 18 '18 at 14:17
  • @PabloDescamisado bingo! I too was puzzled by the title, but the context was a class, a teacher, students, and so pens seem to fit in well. Why would a teacher give money (it's pence and pounds in the UK, and in the US it's cents and dollars) to students though? :P P.S You should have fixed the spelling, the grammar problem would have been easier to identify. – Mari-Lou A Apr 19 '18 at 20:43

2 Answers2

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A way to state your complaint is "I received 2 pens too few", or "I am 2 pens short". Don't use "less" here, since the quantity is countable. "Less" would be used for an non-quantifiable amount, for example, "I got less water than everyone else".

DJ Far
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Everyone got 50 pens but I got 48 pens. I got 2 fewer pens.

Beqa
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