I REFER to the commentary by Melissa Heng on "On Why Good English Matters" (my paper, May 15).

I strongly agree with her and I want to add that I was shocked to see a commercial aired on Channel 5 one night for Sinsin soya sauce.

In the ad, a young woman commented that Sinsin soya sauce contained "lesser salt".

We should use proper English to educate the public, especially the younger generation, on national TV.

The correct word to use is "less", as in "less salt", instead of "lesser". The word "lesser" exists but it's usually used in special instances where its employment has become established by custom, for example, Lesser Asia and the lesser light.

It is also used in poetry, for the sake of maintaining meter, and in prose where its use renders the passage more euphonious.

For example: "The more my prayer, the lesser is my grace." - William Shakespeare

"By the same reason may a man, in the state of nature, punish the lesser breaches of the law." - John Locke

The contents of ads, including the standard of language used, should be vetted before they are aired.

Mrs Whee Sim Baudry

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