Hi, It's Lisa Scott with losemyaccent.com.
Today's video comes from a question asked on my Facebook page about the difference between
few, a few, little, and a little.
This is a great question, because while these pairs of words don't sound very different,
they actually have very different meanings and uses.
First, let's talk about when we use few or a few and when we use little or a little.
Few and a few are used with countable nouns, while little and a little are used with uncountable
nouns.
So, we would say we have a few apples or a few friends, but a little sugar or a little
coffee.
Now, let's look at the difference between A FEW and FEW.
A FEW means some, and you can usually use either word in the sentence.
FEW means almost none.
Confusing these two can change the meaning of what you are trying to say.
For example, if we say : �We have received a few responses from the job offer we posted,�
that means we have received some responses from the job offer, and that is good.
But, if we say � We have received few responses from the job offer we posted,� that means
that we haven't gotten very many and we had expected to get more.
The differences between A LITTLE and LITTLE follow the same pattern.
So, we could say, �I've had a little dinner, so I don't need anything to eat.� That means
that I've had some dinner and I'm satisfied.
But, if I say � I've had very little to eat today,� then I am hungry and ready for
a good meal.
Now, there is one more layer of explanation for you advanced English learners, and this
involves understanding the tone of what is said.
Sometimes, the expressions A FEW and A LITTLE are used with a sarcastic or teasing tone,
and in this case, the speaker actually means A LOT rather than a small amount.
For example, when talking about someone who got drunk, we might say � He had a few drinks
last night!� or � He had a few too many!� We really mean he had a lot of drinks � way
more than he should have.
If you stay up very late working on a project and have trouble getting up in the morning,
you could say, � I stayed up a little too late last night� when what you really mean
is that you stayed up way too late.
So, I've given you a few tips today on how to improve your English, and I hope you understand
these words a little better than you did before you watched this video.
I love it when you ask me questions that I can turn into videos for you, so keep those
questions coming on my Facebook page at facebook.com/losemyaccent.
See you next time!