I AGREE WITH GLORIO Patsy Jr.’s comment (The Mail, 11/ 18) that the phrase “less than 10 items” should be corrected to read “fewer than 10 items,” because“items” are quantized or discrete things that are counted by whole numbers.

However, Clara Jeffery’s phrase “less than 50 yards” should stand as it is, because yards are a measure of distance, and distance is a continuous quantity.

To make this distinction clear, I challenge Patsy to consider the phrase “less than half a yard.” Would you correct this to read “fewer than half a yard”?

Arlington, Va., via Internet