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Anonymous Posted 18 years ago
Grammar

a little and little as an adverb?

0 Hi, Please tell me if the same positive- and negative-polarity view points exist for their use as an adverb ike here where it is used with adjectives. 1)He is a little (positive??)/little (negative??) bad/good for my taste. 2) He was a little (positive??)/little (negative??) sad -- In this case, I think saying "He was little sad" is good since it looks to be sad to a little extent. 0-
  

Top answer

1i 00He was little sad02i 00 is incorrect. Try placing 01i 00very02i 00 before 01i 00little: He was very little sad. 02i 00That is impossible in most languages that I know of.

— Cool Breeze

  • 1i 00He was little sad02i 00 is incorrect.
  • Try placing 01i 00very02i 00 before 01i 00little: He was very little sad.
  • 02i 00That is impossible in most languages that I know of.
  • 02font 00 He was 01b 00a02b 00 little 01font 00careless02font 00.
  • 02i 02br 00CB 0-
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6 Answers
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1i00He was little sad02i00 is incorrect. Try placing 01i00very02i00 before 01i00little: He was very little sad. 02i00That is impossible in most languages that I know of. 01i00Little02i00 and 01i00very little02i00 mean the same:02br
01i00I have [very] little money.02
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He was very little sad, sounds wrong... then again, having english as my mother tongue means I probably do not really know the grammar too well. =)
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No. You can't use little that way in front of an adjective.
He was a little sad. OK, but not the best choice. He was a bit sad. Also possible and better.
He wasn't very sad. OK. (Not He was little sad.)
It's a little dark in here. OK, but not the best choice. It's a bit dark in here. Also possible and better.

It's
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CalifJima little doesn't combine well with all adjectives, by the way.
Google gives more than 3.7 million hits for "a little nervous".
CB
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Hi. Please help. Could we write, "He did little yesterday" to mean he didn't do much yesterday - not enough - (to say it negatively) and "He did a little" to mean he didn't do much, yet enough (to say it positively)? I hope my question is clear.
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