Many editors believe numerical comparisons should always use
- more than rather than over
- less than rather than under
- older than rather than over
- younger than rather than under
Other editors believe either one is okay.
There might be a subtle distinction. A close comparison is a matter of weighing or quantifying the values, making more or less, older or younger the better choice. A general comparison may be regarded as a relative position where above, over, or under is the better choice.
In your sentence, if you want the feel that one number is above the other, use over. If you want the feel that one number is greater than the other, use more than.
We’re splitting a fine line here, but the following examples might be the best choices.
- Over fifty people attended the conference.
- John isn’t over sixty, is he?
- Obviously, 4.7 is more than the 4.3 that we expected.
- If you’re under eighteen, you can’t vote.
This is one case where you can go either way and not be wrong.
