A little or little

Question

Hello,Why is it wrong not to use 'a' in these senteces?I'd only like little milk in my tea please.I like/always (to) have little sugar in my coffee.I would like little chicken, please.Thanks

Enoon · Accepted Answer

A small glass holds little milk, meaning not much milk, and it also holds a little milk, meaning some milk, better than nothing. If you drink little coffee, you hardly ever drink it. If you drink a little coffee, you have it once in a while. "Little" is negative", "a little" is positive.

Audray · Answer

so clear, enoon, it seems so easy to understand now

Nina_Nia · Answer

enoonA small glass holds little milk, meaning not much milk, and it also holds a little milk, meaning some milk, better than nothing. If you drink little coffee, you hardly ever drink it. If you drink a little coffee, you have it once in a while. "Little" is negative", "a little" is positive.

So in my sentences I could use either a little or little, am I right? It all depends on what meaning I want to give my sentence a negative or a positive.

CalifJim · Answer

Nina_NiaI like/always (to) have little sugar in my coffee.

I like a little sugar in my coffee. ~ I like some sugar, but not much, in my coffee.
I like little sugar in my coffee. ~ I don't like a lot of sugar in my coffee. ~ I don't like much sugar in my coffee.

a little ~ a small amount
little ~ not a large amount

We don't use 'little' very often. Instead, we use 'not a lot of' or 'not much' more often.

CJ

Nina_Nia · Answer

Could anyone reply to this post too? There is only one question left there.

A little or little

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