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Pradeep_tp Posted 20 years ago
Grammar

Difference between 'few' and 'a few'

Hello,

I would like to know the difference between saying "few" and "a few". Similarly "little" and "a little". In what context do these two separate expressions are used?

thanks

pradeep
  

Top answer

Few and little mean not many/much -- they are negative in connotation. I am sad because I have few friends . A few and a little mean some -- they are positive in connotation.

— Mister Micawber

  • Few and little mean not many/much -- they are negative in connotation.
  • I am sad because I have few friends .
  • A few and a little mean some -- they are positive in connotation.
  • I just moved here, but I am happy because I have a few friends .
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11 Answers
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Few and little mean not many/much-- they are negative in connotation. I am sad because I have few friends.

A few and a little mean some-- they are positive in connotation. I just moved here, but I am happy because I have a few friends.
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What meaning does few convey when used with 'negative' nouns compared to a few?

I went to the denstist and he found few cavities.
I went to the denstist and he found a few cavities.
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I went to the dentist and he found few cavities. Few = not many. My teeth are in relatively good condition.
I went to the dentist and he found a few cavities. A few = several. My teeth are in somewhat poor condition.
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Hi,
Additionaly, some notes on this subject. There is a important knowledge about quantifies, affirmative and negative statements, and question.


A Few

A few is used with countable nouns to show a small quantity. It is used in affirmative statements, but not
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a few means :- small number . used for countable things such as boys,people.

e.g: There were only a few students in the class.

Few means :- no e.g There were few students in the class so the class could not start

a little:- used with uncountable things such as sugar.

e.g. there
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0 Few- some 02br
00a few - some but not enough02br
00e.g.02br
00I have a few apples.02br
00I have a few apples but not enought to feed the horse. 0-
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0 01blockquote
01cite10Polite12cite10- I don't have any books11h2

12h2

10> This is incorrect.12br
10- I don't have any orange juice.===> This is incorrect12br
12br
12blockquote
10Both sentences are fine. 02br
00To the original poster: Depending on your native language,
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'Few' means none, and 'a few' means one or more than one.
same applies to the usage of the word 'little'.

Eg.

'I have little idea about what is going on.' This technically means 'I have NO idea'.
instead if the sentence is
'I have a little idea about what is going on' would mean 'I have SOME idea about what is going on'.

Hope this clear the doubt once and fo
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Anonymous'Few' means none, and 'a few' means one or more than one.
same applies to the usage of the word 'little'.

Eg.

'I have little idea about what is going on.' This technically means 'I have NO idea'.
instead if the sentence is
'I have a little idea about what is going on' would mean 'I have SOME idea about what is going on'.

Hop
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Few does not mean "none".
I have few friends. - This means that I have do have friends, but a smaller number that I would like or expect to have. It is a statement with a tone of pity, regret, or sadness.

I have a few friends. - This means that I have more than one or two friends. It has no tone of regret or sadness.
'I have little idea about what is going on.' It means that
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