Few / a few, little / a little are determiners. Here is how to use them correctly:
| Few / a few | ||
| A few is more than few. | ||
| We use a few and few + a plural countable noun. |
few people, few books, few letters a few people, a few books, a few letters |
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A few is a positive idea. |
Fortunately, our financial situation is good: we still have a few good customers. | |
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Few is a negative idea. It means 'almost none'. We can also use very few. |
I'm very sad: I have few good friends. I'm very sad: I have very few good friends. (Both these sentences mean I don't have many good friends - I would like to have more.) |
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| A few and few have irregular comparative and superlative forms. |
few - fewer - the fewest a few - more - the most |
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| Little / a little | ||
| A little is more than little. | ||
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We use a little and little + an uncountable noun. |
a little time, a little food, a little money little time, little food, little money |
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A little is a positive idea. It means 'some but not much'. |
Compare: I can help you: I speak a little English. I'm sorry I can't help you: I speak very little English. |
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Little is a negative idea. It means 'nearly none, nearly nothing'. We can also use very little. |
I can't help you. I speak little English. I can't help you. I speak very little English. (Both these sentences mean My English is bad. I would like to speak English better.) |
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| A little and little have irregular comparative and superlative forms. |
little - less - the least a little - more - the most |
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