Adverb vs. noun

Question

The passage below is from the book as follows:

https://books.google.co.kr/books?id=uLvKt-kKU_8C&pg=PA17&lpg=PA17&dq=%22but+have+focused+little+on+their+use+of+this+content%22&source=bl&ots=h-VrXXKDsp&sig=jstZTMXiecJPscCJxmZyHZhajkM&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CBwQ6AEwAGoVChMI3bnIlrWExgIVY2CmCh24DwAx#v=onepage&q=%22but%20have%20focused%20little%20on%20their%20use%20of%20this%20content%22&f=false

Researchers tend to measure whether or not teachers have learned the training content but have focused little on their use of this content in their classrooms. In order for successful implementation of training to occur, teachers must first learn the content, but this is only the first step and evaluating the effectiveness of training based on this step only would likely provide an inaccurate conclusion.

In this passage I’m not sure about what parts of speech the underlined ‘little’ plays.
In a way it seems nouns as in ‘I know little of their history.’ But in another it seems to be an adverb as in ‘They little expected such a generous gift.’

(The example sentence comes from the website as follows :
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/little )

I’m in a crossroad not knowing which way to go.
Help me.

Deadrat · Accepted Answer

Adverb of manner.  It limits the focus to a particular kind, one that's limited in duration.

CalifJim · Answer

Stenka25In this passage I’m not sure about what parts of speech the underlined ‘little’ plays.

Adverb (of degree). 'little' ~ 'not much'. It modifies 'focused'.

'have focused little on ...' ~ 'have not focused much on ...'

CJ

Stenka25 · Answer

I kind of agree with you, CJ & deadrat and thank you for your replies.

But in that case I'm afraid that the 'little' in the example sentence, 'I know little of their history,’ should also be adverb rather than noun, which the Freedictionary.com says it is.

I’m still in the dark.
Hope for your replies.

Deadrat · Answer

You have to focus (so to speak) your attention on both the syntax and the meaning of the words. The word "little" may be used as a noun (a thing), an adjective (a modifier of a noun), or an adverb (a modifier of a verb or an adjective).

They focused a little on their use of content.

Here "focus" is used transitively to bring action to a direct object, some thing. That means that "little" is a noun in this usage. (Note that the noun here requires an article.) The noun takes the action of the verb. This is a statement of syntax or grammar. This is different from the object of the focus, "use of content." That is a semantic issue, i.e., based on the meaning of "focus," and that is expressed in the prepositional phrase using "on." This sentence means the same thing as

They focused little attention on their use of content.

But in this case, the object that takes the action is "attention," and "little" limits that word, telling us what kind of attention was applied, namely not very much. So "little" is an adjective. Now let's examine the original:

They focused little on their use of content.

Because there are different degrees of focusing from lax to laser-like, the position of "little" (and it's lack of an article) signals that it is an adverb, i.e., it limits the degree of focus, setting the quantity to low, so to speak. This might be clearer in the equivalent restatement, "They little focused on their use of content."

CalifJim · Answer

Stenka25But in that case I'm afraid that the 'little' in the example sentence, 'I know little of their history,’ should also be adverb rather than noun, which the Freedictionary.com says it is.

"Adverb" is a catch-all category for everything that doesn't fit anywhere else. That's why dictionaries toss around the word "adverb" so freely. To say that a word is an adverb doesn't say much about it unless it's a central case (slowly, frequently, ...).

In the sentence I underlined above, the expression "little of" can be thought of as a quantifier (tells 'how much'). "little/much of [noun]" is also called a partitive construction, and such constructions count as nouns because they can be used as subjects or objects in sentences.

Much of the cake was eaten before the guests arrived.
Little of the evidence remained after three years.
Two of the children made a model of a volcano.

CJ

Adverb vs. noun

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They focused a little on their use of content.

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