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Tanit Posted 18 years ago
Grammar
some vs few/a few
0 Hi! 02 br
02 br
00 Yesterday, I was asked whether I'd write the following sentence: 01 i 00 'I am now going to analyze 01 b 00 a few 02 b 00 dialogues 02 i 00 ....' in formal (academic) English. 02 br
00 After I replied that I would, my friend went on saying: "Why wouldn't you write 01 i 00 'I am now going to analyze 01 b 00 some 02 b 00 dialogues 02 i 00 ...'?" 02 br
00 I told him that it was grammatically fine, too, and that I would have made my choice depending on the meaning I wanted to convey. I told him that, according to what I have been taught, 01 i 00 few 02 i 00 carries a negative meaning (not enough), 01 i 00 a few 02 i 00 a positive one (more than enough) and 01 u 01 i 00 some 02 i 00 is neutral 02 u 00 . 02 br
00 My friend agreed with me on the difference between 01 i 00 few 02 i 00 and 01 i 00 a few 02 i 00 , but he said that I was being too picky about 01 i 00 some. 02 i 02 br
02 br
00 Since I trust my friend's feeling and knowledge of English more than mine, I thought I'd better ask native speakers whether this difference between 01 i 00 some 02 i 00 and 01 i 00 a few 02 i 00 (or, by the same token, between 01 i 00 some 02 i 00 and 01 i 00 few 02 i 00 ) really exists or it is one of those things taught in ESL classes but not applied in the "real world." 02 br
02 br
00 Many thanks! 0-
02 br
00 Yesterday, I was asked whether I'd write the following sentence: 01 i 00 'I am now going to analyze 01 b 00 a few 02 b 00 dialogues 02 i 00 ....' in formal (academic) English. 02 br
00 After I replied that I would, my friend went on saying: "Why wouldn't you write 01 i 00 'I am now going to analyze 01 b 00 some 02 b 00 dialogues 02 i 00 ...'?" 02 br
00 I told him that it was grammatically fine, too, and that I would have made my choice depending on the meaning I wanted to convey. I told him that, according to what I have been taught, 01 i 00 few 02 i 00 carries a negative meaning (not enough), 01 i 00 a few 02 i 00 a positive one (more than enough) and 01 u 01 i 00 some 02 i 00 is neutral 02 u 00 . 02 br
00 My friend agreed with me on the difference between 01 i 00 few 02 i 00 and 01 i 00 a few 02 i 00 , but he said that I was being too picky about 01 i 00 some. 02 i 02 br
02 br
00 Since I trust my friend's feeling and knowledge of English more than mine, I thought I'd better ask native speakers whether this difference between 01 i 00 some 02 i 00 and 01 i 00 a few 02 i 00 (or, by the same token, between 01 i 00 some 02 i 00 and 01 i 00 few 02 i 00 ) really exists or it is one of those things taught in ESL classes but not applied in the "real world." 02 br
02 br
00 Many thanks! 0-
Top answer
02 br 00 That's how I use them. 05 0 010id 1
- 02 br 00 That's how I use them.
- 05 0 010id 1
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9 Answers
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0 Hi, 02 br
00 I've never had problems with that, because I take them the same way as in Italian. 02 br
00 few = pochi 02 br
00 a few = un po' di 02 br
00 some = alcuni, un po' di, dei... 02 br
02 br
00 I don't see any significant difference between "some" and "a few", and I wouldn't say either of them imply "more than enough", not necessarily,
00 I've never had problems with that, because I take them the same way as in Italian. 02 br
00 few = pochi 02 br
00 a few = un po' di 02 br
00 some = alcuni, un po' di, dei... 02 br
02 br
00 I don't see any significant difference between "some" and "a few", and I wouldn't say either of them imply "more than enough", not necessarily,
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0 Hi, 02 br
02 br
00 Generally speaking, I see 'some' as a neutral term and 'a few' as a term with more 'feeling', suggesting 'a small number, not a lot'. 02 br
02 br
00 Clive 0-
02 br
00 Generally speaking, I see 'some' as a neutral term and 'a few' as a term with more 'feeling', suggesting 'a small number, not a lot'. 02 br
02 br
00 Clive 0-
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0 Yeah, me too. I'd say "a few" is a way to say "some" that somehow contrasts with "a lot", so it's some but "not a lot, not too many". 05 0 00 But in the end, not much difference, and context means a lot too... like in "I've had a few problems" = "I've had a lot, but I won't say it" 05 1 010id 111id 5
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0 Thank you, Clive and Kooyeen. 02 br
05 0 02 br
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00 To everybody else who might be interested: here are two other useful contributions to the topic. 02 br
02 br
00 1. Swann's comment (Practical English Usage, § 329.3): 01 blockquote
05 0 02 br
02 br
00 To everybody else who might be interested: here are two other useful contributions to the topic. 02 br
02 br
00 1. Swann's comment (Practical English Usage, § 329.3): 01 blockquote
01 cite 10 Swann 12 cite 10 Without 11 i 10 a 12 i 10 , 11 i
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niche thread, i am a student and I have to translate some sentences that go gradually, from "no one" to "many"
"no one reported that"
"some people reported that"
"a few people reported that"
"many people reported that"
Which one is 'greater', "some" or "a few"?
"no one reported that"
"some people reported that"
"a few people reported that"
"many people reported that"
Which one is 'greater', "some" or "a few"?
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Hi,
'Some' does not tell us the quantity.
'A few' suggests the quantity was small.
Clive
'Some' does not tell us the quantity.
'A few' suggests the quantity was small.
Clive
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We have to make a difference between "A few" and "few":
The first refers to non-defined amount of something
The second refers to a small amount of something and we are expecting to be more of it !!
I hope it is a useful piece of infomation.
The first refers to non-defined amount of something
The second refers to a small amount of something and we are expecting to be more of it !!
I hope it is a useful piece of infomation.
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AnonymousCorrectNote: The last activity on this thread was three years ago.
CJ
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