Hi! This is Amy, with Go Places English and today I want to talk about A FEW & A LITTLE in American English.
A FEW & A LITTLE basically mean the same thing when they are used in their most common form, as adjectives.
Here is a simple way to determine which one to use.
Use A FEW for countable nouns and A LITTLE for uncountable nouns.
Let’s take a closer look.
A FEW is often linked to sound like a single word. A FEW. The stress is on the second syllable. The vowel sound in FEW is EW. FEW. A FEW.
A FEW means a small amount, or a small number of things. It is an adjective, used to describe nouns. We can only use A FEW with countable nouns.
For example:
We have a few minutes.
I want to buy a few books.
She needs a few things at the store.
We can also use A FEW in questions.
For example:
Can I ask you a few questions?
Do you have a few ideas?
Are you willing to wait a few days?
We don’t use A FEW in negative statements.
Now let’s look at A LITTLE.
A LITTLE is also linked to sound like a single word, A LITTLE. The stress is on the second syllable. The Ts in LITTLE are pronounced like a D, also known as Flap T. A LITTLE.
A LITTLE means a small amount, or a small number of things. Essentially the meaning is the same as A FEW. It also is an adjective used to describe nouns. But we can only use A LITTLE to describe uncountable nouns.
For example:
I have a little money.
I want to take a little vacation.
I need a little help.
We can also use A LITTLE in questions.
For example:
Do you want a little coffee?
Can you play a little tennis?
Do you need to do a little work?
We don’t really use A FEW or A LITTLE in negative statements. It’s not that it’s always grammatically incorrect, but most of the time we would just use ANY for negative statements. So to simplify things, I suggest you use A FEW and A LITTLE for questions and affirmative statements, and use ANY for negative statements.
Make your own example sentences using A FEW and A LITTLE and write them in the comments. It’s important to generate your own sentences and put your ideas and examples into writing if you want to be fluent in English.
Is this video helpful? If you learned something in this video, give it a thumbs up and share it with your friends on social media.
Subscribe to the Go Places English YouTube channel to get more helpful English lessons.
Where will English take you?
Leave a Reply