Fill in the blank with the most appropriate option:
There are ______ students in class today than yesterday.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → fewer
Complete sentence: There are fewer students in class today than yesterday. This sentence compares two numbers with "than", and "students" can be counted, so fewer is correct.
| Option | Meaning and use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| (1) less | Less is used with uncountable nouns, not with a countable plural such as "students". | There is less water in the tank today. |
| (2) fewer (answer) | Fewer is used with plural countable nouns (students, books, cars). | There are fewer cars on the road on Sundays than on weekdays. |
| (3) lesser | Lesser means smaller in importance or degree and comes before a noun, as in "the lesser evil". It does not express a smaller number. | He chose the lesser of the two evils. |
| (4) a few | a small number, some. It is not a comparative, so it cannot be followed by "than yesterday". | A few students stayed back after class. |