I was disturbed to hear the phrase "amount of people" being broadcast by Radio 4 a few weeks ago and now it seems to crop up every day. Hearing it again on the BBC's news programme last night prompted me to post here.
If we were talking about sweets, say, then I suppose a credible defence of the expression could be made. One could describe an "amount of jelly beans" if one had in mind a measure by volume. Foods are typically purchased by weight when the size of the item may vary.
However, it requires a greater leap of imagination for me to justify the idiom when it involves persons. The Radio 4 speaker was a government representative referring to asylum seekers. Draw your own conclusions.
If we were talking about sweets, say, then I suppose a credible defence of the expression could be made. One could describe an "amount of jelly beans" if one had in mind a measure by volume. Foods are typically purchased by weight when the size of the item may vary.
However, it requires a greater leap of imagination for me to justify the idiom when it involves persons. The Radio 4 speaker was a government representative referring to asylum seekers. Draw your own conclusions.
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