few

few

W1S1 [fju:] determiner, pron, adj comparative fewer superlative fewest

[: Old English; Origin: feawa]

1.) [no comparative]

a small number of things or people

a few

▪ I have to buy a few things at the supermarket.

▪ Pam called to say she's going to be a few minutes late.

▪ There were a few people sitting at the back of the hall.

▪ There are a few more things I'd like to discuss.

few of

▪ I've read a few of her books.

▪ I could suggest many different methods, but anyway, here are just a few .

▪ There are only a very few (=not many) exceptions.

the last/next few

▪ The office has been closed for the last few days.

every few days/weeks etc

▪ The plants need to be watered every few days.

the/sb's few days/weeks etc

▪ She had enjoyed her few days in Monaco.

2.) quite a few/a good few/not a few

a fairly large number of things or people

▪ She must have cooked a good few dinners over the years.

quite a few/a good few/not a few of

▪ There were hundreds of protesters, not a few of whom were women.

3.) not many or hardly any people or things

≠ ↑many

▪ low-paid jobs that few people want

▪ Many people expressed concern, but few were willing to help.

▪ The team that makes the fewest mistakes usually wins.

few of

▪ Very few of the staff come from the local area.

▪ Mr Wingate was full of explanations, but precious few (=hardly any) of them made sense.

the few

▪ The cathedral was one of the few buildings not destroyed in the war.

▪ This hospital is one of the few that are equipped to provide transplant surgery.

sb's few belongings/friends etc

▪ I gathered together my few possessions.

4.) no fewer than

used to emphasize that a number is large

▪ I tried to contact him no fewer than ten times.

5.) as few as 5/10 etc

used to emphasize how surprisingly small a number is

▪ Sometimes as few as 20 out of 500 or more candidates succeed in passing all the tests.

6.) to name/mention but a few

used when you are mentioning only a small number of people or things as examples of a large group

▪ This is a feature of languages such as Arabic, Spanish and Portuguese, to name but a few.

7.) the (privileged/chosen) few

the small number of people who are treated better than others and have special advantages

▪ Such information is made available only to the chosen few.

▪ The needs of the many have been ignored -- instead, the priority has been to bring benefits only to the few.

8.) be few and far between

to be rare

▪ Jobs are few and far between at the moment.

9.) have had a few (too many) informal to have drunk too much alcohol

▪ He looks as if he's had a few!

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WORD CHOICE: a few, few, a little, little, a bit, fewer, less

a few and few are used before plural nouns.

a few means 'a small number' : It will take a few minutes. | I've got a few friends who live nearby.

few means 'not many'. It emphasizes how small the number is. It is mainly used in writing or formal speech : Few people would deny her talent. |He has few interests outside his work.

In spoken English or informal writing it is more usual to say not many : Not many people saw what happened.

a little and little are used before uncountable nouns.

a little means 'some, but not a lot' : We still have a little time left.

In spoken British English, it is more usual to say a bit : 'Are you tired?' 'A bit.' |I've got a bit of money left.

little means 'not much'. It emphasizes how small the amount is. It is mainly used in writing or formal speech : There is now little hope of success.

In spoken English or informal writing it is more usual to say not much : There was not much milk left.

The comparative of few is fewer : Few people have read the book, and even fewer understand it.

The comparative of little is less : We know little about his adult life, and less about his childhood.

!! Sometimes people use less before a plural noun, but many people think that this is incorrect, so it is better to use fewer : a village of fewer (NOT less) than 200 inhabitants

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