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Mrs. Bluezette's Grammar Guide
over/more than, amount/number
An anchor/reporter in Raleigh writes:
"Mrs. Bluezette,
Can you please explain the correct usage of `more than' and
`over.' I always hear news copy saying, `Over two hundred
people attended the ceremony.' But the correct usage should be,
`More than two hundred people attended the ceremony.' Right?"
Sharon Delaney
WNCN-TV
Right: use "over" when dealing with money, volume, and age.
v
The car cost OVER $20,000.
v
The bottle held OVER 24 ounces of juice.
v
You must be OVER 21 to apply.
Use "more than" when dealing with other numbers.
v
Police arrested MORE THAN 20 teenagers.
v
She loaded MORE THAN a dozen boxes of tapes into the truck.
v
We'll have done MORE THAN 50 newscasts by Friday.
"Amount" refers to a quantity, something that cannot be counted.
Use "number" to talk about things you CAN count.
v
The AMOUNT of pleasure he gets from doing the weather
amazes me.
v
We increased the NUMBER of stories in the first block by three.
