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Tenacious Learner Posted 15 years ago
Grammar

Question about 'quite a few'. Unit 6

Hi Teachers,

Do these sentences have similar meanings?

a) She has had dinner alone quite a few times since she got married.

b) She has had dinner alone many times since she got married.

Thanks in advance
  

Top answer

Thinking Spain Hi Teachers, Do these sentences have similar meanings? a) She has had dinner alone quite a few times since she got married. b) She has had dinner alone many times since she got married.

— Regards

  • Thinking Spain Hi Teachers, Do these sentences have similar meanings?
  • a) She has had dinner alone quite a few times since she got married.
  • b) She has had dinner alone many times since she got married.
  • Hi, No.
  • Quite a few means some .
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11 Answers
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Thinking SpainHi Teachers,
Do these sentences have similar meanings?
a) She has had dinner alone quite a few times since she got married.
b) She has had dinner alone many times since she got married.
Hi,

No. Quite a few means some.

Regards
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Hi Regards,

Thank you so much for your answer. But I've found 'many' as a synonym of 'quite a few' too. So I'm really puzzled.

TS
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Thinking SpainBut I've found 'many' as a synonym of 'quite a few' too.
Hi,

Where?

Regards
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Thinking SpainHi Regards,
Here
Hi,

Quite frankly, I don't think so. To me, many denotes a greater quantity of something than quite a few does.

I wouldn't consider them synonyms, then.

Regards
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Hi Regards,

Thank you for your replies I really appreciate them. That's why I've asked, to have another opinion.

Best,

TS
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'Quite a few' certainly means more than just 'some' in British English. I would suggest it's not as much as 'many' and more around 'a lot of'.
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Hi,

Here's another opinion.

Such 'number' expressions are hard to define precisely, although learners often ask for such defintions.

'Some' is a rather neutral expression.

On the other hand,
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Thinking SpainHi Regards,
Here

I agree with the answer on that site that says 'many' is more than 'quite a few'. Sometimes, it seems to me, a speaker uses 'quite a few' when there aren't many, but the speaker wishes to exaggerate how many there are. At other times a speaker uses 'quite a few' when there aren't many, but there are more than the
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Hi Clive,

Thank you for you reply and examples. They really help to explain the students the meaning.

Best,

TS
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