Little, a little, few and a few.

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Little, a little, few and a few.

Suite:
A little and a few are more positive. A little = some, a small amount:
• Let's go and have a drink. We've got a little time before the train leaves.
(a little time = some time, enough time to have a drink)
• 'Do you speak English? 'A little.' (so we can talk a bit)

A few = some, a small number:
• I enjoy my life here. I have a few friends and we meet quite often,
(a few friends = not many but enough to have a good time)
• 'When did you last see Clare? 'A few days ago.' (= some days ago)

Compare:

• He spoke little English, so it was difficult to communicate with him.
He spoke a little English, so we were able to communicate with him.
• She's lucky. She has few problems. (= not many problems)
Things are not going so well for her. She has a few problems. (= some problems)
Note that 'only a little' and ' only a few' have a negative meaning:
We must be quick. We’ve only got a little time.
The village was very small. There were only a few houses.

Put in little/ a little/ few/a few:

English exercise "Little, a little, few and a few." created by felin with The test builder
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1. We must be quick. We have time
2. Listen carefully. I'm going to give you advice
3. Do you mind if I ask you questions?
4. This town is not a very interesting place to visit, so tourists come here.
5. I don't think Jill would be a good teacher. She's got patience.
6. ' Would you like milk in your coffee?' Yes please. .
7. This is a very boring place to live. There's to do.
8. 'Have you ever been to Paris?'' Yes, I've been there times.

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