WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN “FEW” AND “A FEW”; “LITTLE" AND “A LITTLE”?

Hello friends, I hope your weekend was good. Today on Dissecting Grammar, I would like to clarify some issues relating to the use of the above quantifiers. Many times, people use “few”, “a few” and “little”, “a little” interchangeably without knowing that they (the people) are actually wrong. Please pay attention to this analysis and I promise you will never regret being here.

I want you to have it in mind that “few” and “little” are quantifiers that simply means “some but not enough” while “a few” and “a little” means “not enough at all”. While “few” and “little” are used in a positive sense, “a few” and “a little” have a negative connotation.

Examples

I saw a few persons at the venue of the occasion. (Some, a small number)

I saw only few persons at the venue of the occasion. (A small number, not enough)

Nigeria has a little money coming in this year. (Some, a small number)

Nigeria has little money to spend this year. (Not much, almost nothing)

Now, let’s see how they are used.

A LITTLE, A FEW

“A little” is used with singular uncountable nouns while “a few” is used with plural countable nouns.

I need a little bread for my tea. (“Bread” is singular uncountable noun)

The President needs a few days to rest. (“Days” is plural countable noun)

LITTLE, FEW

“Little” is used with uncountable nouns while “few” is used with plural countable nouns.

Examples

I spent little time with my mother last year.(“time” is used here as uncountable noun)

Few students appear to be interested in the lecture. (“Students” is plural countable nouns)

It should be noted that we can equally use “little”, “a little”, “few” and “a few” as pronouns to perfectly replace nouns in certain contexts.

Examples

The testifier said he knows a little about the criminal. (“a little” here replaces the noun “something”)

 Wait and take some mangoes. Just have a few. (a few mangoes)

Remember:  “Little” and “few” are used in formal contexts. In this case, they are used without a noun.

Examples

The teacher knows little about the child’s medical history.

No doubt, few will support such an obnoxious policy.

Do you know that we can also use “a little” and “a few” with “of”? Yes it is very possible. That is done when they come before articles (a/an, the), possessives (my, your) or pronouns (him, them), demonstratives (this, that).

Examples

A little of the sugar should be added to the juice.

A few of her novels are available in the libraries.

I want to believe you are still following the lesson. Good!

Let me introduce another point. You see, for you to sound more formal, you can use 

“a little” as an adverb of degree instead of using “a bit.”

Examples

He opened his eyes a little, smiled at the mother and gave up.

The woman laughs a little.

We can also use “a little” as an adjective to mean “small.”

Example

That’s a little baby there.

In the same vein, “a little” can be used before adverbs and adjectives to modify them.

Examples

I am getting a little scared.

I think he needs a little more rest.

Don’t forget to add your comments if you have questions or suggestions. This is an interactive platform where your opinion is highly respected. Thanks for reading. Remain blessed and serve God in a new dimension. Bye.