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Unit 84 · Determiners and pronouns

(a) little (a) few

Study

A

(a) little + uncountable noun:

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(a) little water

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(a) little time

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(a) little money

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(a) little soup

(a) few + plural noun:

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(a) few books

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(a) few questions

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(a) few people

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(a) few days

B

a little = some but not much

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She didn't eat anything, but she drank a little water.

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I speak a little Spanish. (= some Spanish but not much)

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A: Can you speak Spanish? B: A little.

a few = some but not many

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Excuse me, I have to make a few phone calls.

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We're going away for a few days.

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I speak a few words of Spanish.

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A: Are there any shops near here? B: Yes, a few.

C

little (without a) = nearly no or nearly nothing

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There was little food in the fridge. It was nearly empty.

You can say very little:

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Dan is very thin because he eats very little. (= nearly nothing)

few (without a) = nearly no

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There were few people in the theatre. It was nearly empty.

You can say very few:

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Your English is very good. You make very few mistakes.

D

Compare little and a little:

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They have a little money, so they're not poor. (= they have some money)

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They have little money. They are very poor. (= nearly no money)

Compare few and a few:

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I have a few friends, so I'm not lonely. (= I have some friends)

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I'm sad and I'm lonely. I have few friends. (= nearly no friends)

Exercises (5)

0/5 exercises checked
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84.1

Answer the questions with a little or a few.

  1. 1
    'Do you have any money?' 'Yes, 'example
  2. 2
    'Do you have any envelopes?' 'Yes, '
  3. 3
    'Do you want sugar in your coffee?' 'Yes, , please.'
  4. 4
    'Did you take any photos when you were on holiday?' 'Yes, '
  5. 5
    'Does your friend speak English?' 'Yes, '
  6. 6
    'Are there any good restaurants in this town?' 'Yes, '
84.2

Write a little or a few + these words: chairs days fresh air friends milk Russian times years

  1. 1
    Mark speaks Italian well. He lived in Italy for .example
  2. 2
    Can I have in my coffee, please?
  3. 3
    'When did Amy go away?' ' ago.'
  4. 4
    'Do you speak any foreign languages?' 'I can speak .'
  5. 5
    'Are you going out alone?' 'No, I'm going with .'
  6. 6
    'Have you ever been to Mexico?' 'Yes, .'
  7. 7
    There wasn't much furniture in the room – just a table and .
  8. 8
    I'm going out for a walk. I need .
84.3

Complete the sentences. Use very little or very few + these words: coffee hotels mistakes people rain time work

  1. 1
    Your English is very good. You make .example
  2. 2
    I drink . I prefer tea.
  3. 3
    The weather here is very dry in summer. There is .
  4. 4
    It's difficult to find a place to stay in this town. There are .
  5. 5
    Hurry up. We have .
  6. 6
    The town is very quiet at night. go out.
  7. 7
    Some people in the office are very lazy. They do .
84.4

Write little / a little or few / a few.

  1. 1
    There was food in the fridge. It was nearly empty.example
  2. 2
    'When did Sarah go out?' ' minutes ago.'
  3. 3
    I can't decide now. I need time to think about it.
  4. 4
    There was traffic, so we arrived earlier than we expected.
  5. 5
    The bus service isn't very good at night – there are buses after 9 o'clock.
  6. 6
    'Would you like some soup?' 'Yes, , please.'
  7. 7
    I'd like to practise my English more, but I have opportunity.
84.5

Right or wrong? Change the sentences where necessary. Write OK if the sentence is correct.

  1. 1
    We're going away for few days next week.
    for a few daysexample
  2. 2
    Everybody needs little luck.
  3. 3
    I can't talk to you now – I have few things to do.
  4. 4
    I eat very little meat – I don't like it very much.
  5. 5
    Excuse me, can I ask you few questions?
  6. 6
    There were little people on the bus – it was nearly empty.
  7. 7
    Mark is a very private person. Few people know him well.