noname2200 on 01 July 2013
| Soleron said: You can count risks. "There are two risks associated with this proposal:" I agree it CAN be used as a mass noun, but then you'd always say "risk" and not "risks". By using "risks" they mean a countable number. |
I can't say I agree, not in this context: it seems to me the word is being used as a mass noun here. Certainly, Mikami's not sitting down and tallying risks taken by this group vis-a-vis that group. Though to address your earlier unanswered question, yes, the distinction is going away. Not that I'm too fussed: according to the Book of Knowledge (citing Webster), the distinction only arose because some 18th century nobleman thought "fewer" sounded more formal than "less."Anyhow, agree to disagree here.
And on that note...
