Over vs. More than

[jakewriter82]

Editor here says never use over when addressing a number..."Over 500 people showed up to the parade"
or for a length of time..."He went to the game over the weekend."

This guy over at theslot.com, though, says "over" works just fine in both cases...

http://www.theslot.com/over.html

Who's right?
What's your preference?

 

[Steak Snabler]

"Over" is a location. --- The plane flew over the city.

"More than" is a quantity. --- I have more than 25 dollars in the bank.

Used to drive me crazy when people used "over" in both cases. But it's one of those style rules that's gotten slowly washed away through the years.

 

[sportschick]

More than 500 people is correct. Over 500 people is not.

I've not worked some place where over the weekend wasn't acceptable, so I'll leave that one to others wiser than I.

 

[spnited]

More than 500, never over.

I don't like "over the weekend" when you can just say he did something "this past weekend."

 

[mike311gd]

More than 500 people is correct. Over 500 people is not.

I've not worked some place where over the weekend wasn't acceptable, so I'll leave that one to others wiser than I.

Same here.

It infuriates me when I hear someone on a commercial saying, "Over 200 people were surveyed. ..." It's always "more than" for a number.

 

[MileHigh]

AP stylebook, under "over":

over It generally refers to spatial relationships: The plane flew over the city.
More than is preferred with numerals: Their salaries went up more than $20 a week.

 

[Pete Incaviglia]

Always, ALWAYS more than. Like Steak said, it's a quantity.

This is my biggest pet peeve by the way.

 

[jakewriter82]

So is this concern from theslot valid?

But when the aversion to "over" turns into a coronation of "during," I have to speak up. When a company's stock has risen 300 percent over the past five years, "over," with its time-span connotation, is the correct word, no matter what all those "during"-happy copy editors say. (If those shares rose by that much during the past five years, how do I know they're still at that level?)

 

[John]

More than 500, never over.

I don't like "over the weekend" when you can just say he did something "this past weekend."

Or, even better: "last weekend".

And "more than 500" is correct. Never use "over 500".

Thank you. I loathe "this past weekend."

 

[spnited]

I don't like "this past" either but it is the preferred style at my paper (anal copy desk chief, not me)

 

[Steak Snabler]

Speaking of pet peeves, while we're here, can we settle "Pull-it-zer" vs. "Pyool-it-zer?"

Please?

For me?

 

[Tom Petty]

Speaking of pet peeves, while we're here, can we settle "Pull-it-zer" vs. "Pyool-it-zer?"

Please?

For me?

isn't that discussion over?

 

[Chi City 81]

Speaking of pet peeves, while we're here, can we settle "Pull-it-zer" vs. "Pyool-it-zer?"

Please?

For me?

isn't that discussion over?

I knew there was a reason I liked you more than most.

 

[Steak Snabler]

Speaking of pet peeves, while we're here, can we settle "Pull-it-zer" vs. "Pyool-it-zer?"

Please?

For me?

isn't that discussion over?

I sure as hell hope so. Still hear it repeatedly, even from people who seriously think they'll one day win one.

 

[Overrated]

What about "over" versus "against?"

My boss always uses "So and So shot the ball well in a victory over East So and So."

I always change over to against. I'm right, right?

 

[Chi City 81]

Yours is more grammatically correct, but the former has become so used it's generally accepted.

 

[BTExpress]

What's the "more than"/"fewer than" on tonight's game?

Just illustrating that while technically incorrect, "over" isn't the taboo that we're making it out to be.

 

[Cansportschick]

One of my j-school copy editing professors told me a few years ago that some newsrooms do not like "over" being used. She did not even like students using it for her assignments.

She did suggest that you could use "approximately" instead of over or under...

This was my reaction: ??? ???

 

[rpmmutant]

One of my college advisors had a sign over his office door. It read: This sign in more than the door. Over is the wrong word in that circumstance. Never forgot the rule after seeing that sign.

 

[SF_Express]

I've always been a "more than" guy, but there are some gray areas I've run across lately where "over" seemed a better fit. Naturally, I can't think of any now.

I'm also a "past" guy, as in "the past 30 games"...but I would also never say, "this past weekend" and would always say "last weekend."

There are those that say my accepting "last" in the second instance means I should be OK with "last" in the first, and they're probably right, but oh, well.