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Teo Posted 21 years ago
Grammar
some/a few/several (American English)
A British professor says that there are different connotations between some, a few, and several?
1. There were some people smoking in the waiting room. [neutral]
2. There were a few people smoking in the waiting room. [fewer than one had anticipated; not very many]
3. There were several people smoking in the waiting room. [more than one had anticiped because there shouldn't be anyone smoking in the the waiting room.]
Are there any such distinctions in American English?
Thank you very much for your reply.
1. There were some people smoking in the waiting room. [neutral]
2. There were a few people smoking in the waiting room. [fewer than one had anticipated; not very many]
3. There were several people smoking in the waiting room. [more than one had anticiped because there shouldn't be anyone smoking in the the waiting room.]
Are there any such distinctions in American English?
Thank you very much for your reply.
Top answer
' Best wishes, Clive
- ' Best wishes, Clive
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11 Answers
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Hi,
Generally speaking, I'd say 'Yes, it's the same.'
Best wishes, Clive
Generally speaking, I'd say 'Yes, it's the same.'
Best wishes, Clive
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[more than one had anticipated because there shouldn't be anyone smoking in the the waiting room.]
It appears to me that the above sentence has two facts that contradict with each other--"more than one had anticipated" and "there shouldn't be anyone" . Shall we say the above sentence as "more than one had anticipated because there shouldn't be that many people smoking in the waiting room
It appears to me that the above sentence has two facts that contradict with each other--"more than one had anticipated" and "there shouldn't be anyone" . Shall we say the above sentence as "more than one had anticipated because there shouldn't be that many people smoking in the waiting room
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HI Krish,
[more than one had anticipated because there shouldn't be anyone smoking in the the waiting room.] This sentence is based on the 'fact' that there should be no-one smoking there.
It appears to me that the above sentence has two facts that contradict with each other--"more than one had anticipated" and "there shouldn't be anyone" .
[more than one had anticipated because there shouldn't be anyone smoking in the the waiting room.] This sentence is based on the 'fact' that there should be no-one smoking there.
It appears to me that the above sentence has two facts that contradict with each other--"more than one had anticipated" and "there shouldn't be anyone" .
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Thanks for your explanation, Clive. Sorry, I guess I am still missing your point somewhere. Originally, I interpreted "more than one had anticipated" as "there were more smokers than one had anticipated.". Since there is an anticipation of certain number of minimum smokers, I thought, one cannot say it is a non-smoking area. I hope your further explanation will help me to understand what I am fail
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Hi,
There were several people smoking in the waiting room. [more than one had anticiped because there shouldn't be anyone smoking in the the waiting room.]
Why do you say Since there is an anticipation of certain number of minimum smokers ... ?
I think no smokers was the anticipation. Several is more than zero.
Clive
There were several people smoking in the waiting room. [more than one had anticiped because there shouldn't be anyone smoking in the the waiting room.]
Why do you say Since there is an anticipation of certain number of minimum smokers ... ?
I think no smokers was the anticipation. Several is more than zero.
Clive
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Hello Clive,
"[More than one had anticipated.....]" made me to think that there was a minimum anticipation.
My mind thinks and correlates the context ,might be in a wrong way, as given below.
I expected fifty people for the party, but 75 people attended the party. So, the number of people was more than I anticipated.
"[More than one had anticipated.....]" made me to think that there was a minimum anticipation.
My mind thinks and correlates the context ,might be in a wrong way, as given below.
I expected fifty people for the party, but 75 people attended the party. So, the number of people was more than I anticipated.
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Hi,
There were several people smoking in the waiting room. [more than one had anticiped because there shouldn't be anyone smoking in the the waiting room.]
The last part in italics states that the anticipation is zero smokers. 'More than one anticipated' does suggest an anticipation that someone will be smoking. So, here is a seeming con
There were several people smoking in the waiting room. [more than one had anticiped because there shouldn't be anyone smoking in the the waiting room.]
The last part in italics states that the anticipation is zero smokers. 'More than one anticipated' does suggest an anticipation that someone will be smoking. So, here is a seeming con
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British professors like connotation as it is a quick way to offend or take offense :-)
If you needed a drink, would 'some' be the only safe word to use on England without being presumptive?
In my part of the USA, these words represent actual numbers without any connotations.
single one
couple two
few three
some four or five
several
If you needed a drink, would 'some' be the only safe word to use on England without being presumptive?
In my part of the USA, these words represent actual numbers without any connotations.
single one
couple two
few three
some four or five
several
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