Fill in the blank in the following sentence with the appropriate option:-
That book contains _____ anecdotes than its companion volume.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → fewer
Complete sentence: That book contains fewer anecdotes than its companion volume. Anecdotes can be counted, and "than" shows a comparison, so the blank needs the comparative fewer.
| Option | Meaning and use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| (1) few | Few is the positive degree. It cannot be followed by "than". | Only a few students came to class in the rain. |
| (2) less | Less is used with uncountable nouns (less water, less time). Anecdotes are countable. | You should eat less sugar. |
| (3) fewer (answer) | Fewer is the comparative of few. It is used with countable nouns (things we can count one by one). | This year there were fewer accidents than last year. |
| (4) least | Least is the superlative and is used with uncountable nouns. A superlative cannot be followed by "than". | He did the least work of all. |