"a few" vs. "few" and so forth
How come we use the article before quantifies like "few" sometimes and not others? And why do we even have to have "a" before it if the noun it describes is singular? For example, the sentence "There are a few people here today" vs. "There are people here today."
Top answer
anonymous How come we use the article before quantifies like "few" sometimes and not others? The usage depends on the intended meaning. A few means the same as some , and has a positive ring to it: He bought a few / some books.
- anonymous How come we use the article before quantifies like "few" sometimes and not others?
- The usage depends on the intended meaning.
- A few means the same as some , and has a positive ring to it: He bought a few / some books.
- Few means the same as very few, and sounds rather negative: He has [very] few friends.
- ) anonymous And why do we even have to have "a" before it if the noun it describes is singular?
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anonymousHow come we use the article before quantifies like "few" sometimes and not others?
The usage depends on the intended meaning. A few means the same as some, and has a positive ring to it:
He bought a few / some books.
Few means the same as very few, and sounds rather negative:
He has
0a few ~ a small number of
few ~ not many
A few people attended the reception. (optimistic view)
Few people attended the reception. (pessimistic view)
CJ
0anonymous "There are a few people here today" vs. "There are people here today."
These are idiomatic expressions. Read about them here:
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/grammar/british-grammar/quantifiers/little-
0
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