"Few" who?
Hello. I have written a sentence like the one below in a draft paper:
"Few would oppose the need for teaching grammar."
It is the first sentence of the first paragraph of the text. One reader asked me to whom "few" would refer. Should I write "few scholars," "few researchers," or something like that? For me, "few" does not need any complement. It is clear from the context that I am talking about other scholars in the field.
Or am I wrong? Is using "few" like that limited to those cases when we have already presented the omitted subject? For example: "Nowadays, many researchers acknowledge the relevance of grammar. Few would oppose the need for teaching it at . . ."
Thank you.
Top answer
Few would oppose the need for teaching grammar . e. it functions simultaneously as determiner and head.
- Few would oppose the need for teaching grammar .
- e.
- it functions simultaneously as determiner and head.
- We understand it to mean "few x" where 'x' is interpreted as people in general.
- If you want 'x' to mean some specific group of people, you may (depending on context) need to be more specific and say "few experts/teachers/whatever.
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Few would oppose the need for teaching grammar.
"Few" is a 'fused determiner head', i.e. it functions simultaneously as determiner and head. We understand it to mean "few x" where 'x' is interpreted as people in general.
If you want 'x' to mean some specific group of people, you may (depending on context) need to be more specific and say "few experts/teachers/whateve
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