A Few and A Little

'A few' means a small but positive amount with countable nouns; 'a little' does the same for uncountable nouns. Without 'a', 'few' and 'little' sound more negative.

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Level A2 Articles

Summary

'A few' means a small but positive amount with countable nouns; 'a little' does the same for uncountable nouns. Without 'a', 'few' and 'little' sound more negative.

a few + plural countable | a little + uncountable

Examples

I have a few questions for you.
Add a little salt to the soup.
She speaks a little Spanish.
There are a few apples left in the bowl.

Common mistakes

• Saying 'a little books' instead of 'a few books'.
• Confusing 'few' (almost none) with 'a few' (some), e.g. 'I have few friends' when you mean several.

Related

Countable and Uncountable Nouns Much, Many, A Lot Of

More articles

A / An (Indefinite Article) A1

Use 'a' or 'an' before singular countable nouns when you mention something for the first time or talk about it in a general, non-specific way. Use 'a' before a consonant sound and 'an' before a vowel sound.

The (Definite Article) A2

Use 'the' when it is clear which specific thing you mean — because it was already mentioned, is unique, or is known from the situation.

Zero Article (No Article) A2

Use no article with plural and uncountable nouns when talking generally, and with most names of people, countries, meals, languages, and abstract ideas.

Much, Many, A Lot Of A2

Use 'many' with countable nouns and 'much' with uncountable nouns, usually in questions and negatives. 'A lot of' works with both and is common in positive statements.

All, Every, Each B1

'All' refers to a whole group together; 'every' and 'each' look at members one by one. 'Every' takes a singular noun and a singular verb, as does 'each'.

Both, Either, Neither B1

These words talk about two things. 'Both' means the two together, 'either' means one or the other, and 'neither' means not one and not the other.

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