RSVP

Here’s a timely reminder as we send and accept invitations to holiday gatherings.   

The French language lends itself to good manners – some of which we borrow.  When we invite somebody to an event, and we want to know who’ll be there, we often end the invitation with ‘RSVP’- an abbreviated form of ‘répondez, s’il vous plait’.  Loosely translated, this is ‘Respond, if you please’, or just ‘Please respond’. 

Because they’re polite—or perhaps formal—French people often finalize any type of request with ‘S’il vous plait’; it’s just good manners.  In writing, they will often abbreviate it ‘SVP’ – but it still just essentially means ‘please’. 

So, when we respond to an invitation, we are not really ‘RSVP-ing’, since we’re not requesting anything … we’re just ‘R-ing’. 

What’s that?  Oh, of course … you’re welcome.  

Less Than a Few

The sign over the express checkout lane at the store near my daughter’s high school says it’s intended for ’12 items or fewer’. 

My heart sings every time I see that sign – even if I have 14 items, and need to use a different line. 

The difference in usage between ‘less than …’ and ‘fewer than…’ is not rocket science; it can be learned in ten seconds, and retained for a lifetime.  It would be great if we decided as a society to preserve this distinction, before it dissolves into the muddled word soup of our increasingly mushy language. 

If you are comparing ‘How MUCH of something two people have; one has more, the other less. 
If you are comparing ‘how MANY’ of something two people have; one has more, the other fewer.  

If you can count them, the word for the smaller quantity is ‘fewer’.  FEWER pint glasses at a table probably means LESS beer will be consumed.  (This is a helpful way for me to remember this).   

There.  Now get offa my lawn!