<p>Who can explain the difference between less/lesser/lessen?
Thanks!</p>
<p>Also:
What is the difference between “further” and “farther”?</p>
<p>“less” is used for comparisons, as in 9 is less than 10. </p>
<p>“lesser” is also used for comparisons, but it is not normally used with the word “than” like “less” is: You can survive longer without food than without water, so when I was faced with the choice of living without either for a day, I chose the lesser of the two conditions (living without food). The word is not normally used with quantities, which you would use “less” for. “lesser” is for more abstract things. In the sentence above it means “smaller in importance/value” (where “value” isn’t a value like the number 9, but the extent to which the thing is valued).</p>
<p>“lessen” is either a transitive verb (requires an object) or an intransitive verb (requires no object). The transitive form means “reduce”: The nuclear power plant reduced its waste output. The intransitive form means “to become less”: Waste output lessened. Using the transitive form you can also say Waste output was lessened.</p>
<p>“farther” has to do mainly with physical space: The man traveled farther than the other man. “further” can have to do with physical space, as in *The man traveled further than the other man<a href=“which%20would%20also%20be%20correct”>/i</a>, but it has to do with abstract things as well: Let’s not continue writing this post further. writing . . . farther would be incorrect because writing is not traveling distance.</p>
<p>Less is also used in comparing amount, rather than individuals: I used less flour in this recipe, but There are fewer people here tonight than I had thought there would be. Not, ever: Less people came.</p>
<p>This is a better explanation than I can write: [Less</a> Versus Fewer : Grammar Girl :: Quick and Dirty Tips](<a href=“http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/less-versus-fewer.aspx]Less”>http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/less-versus-fewer.aspx)</p>
<p>Thank you so much! Both of you!</p>
<p>why the phrase “in need badly of” is incorrect?</p>
<p>^^ I’m not a grammar expert but I think I can provide some insight. The word structure is all wrong. The adverb “badly” needs to be placed before the verb “in need” so it should read “badly in need of…”</p>