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Small quantities: little - a little - few - a few

I) LITTLE is placed before an uncountable noun in the singular: = LITTLE: is a little/ too little, insufficient quantity. 

- The beggar had little money and couldn't afford to buy food. 

II) FEW is placed before a countable noun in the plural.  (represents a little/ too little number of objects or people.)

- As he has only few friends, he can't hope to receive any help...

III) HARDLY any = little or few - depending on the following nouns.  (The verb is in the affirmative form) 
- There's hardly any petrol left. We'll have to stop to fill up the tank. 

IV) A LITTLE + uncountable noun in the singular; it represents a LITTLE QUANTITY of...  
- I like a little milk with my tea, whereas Pam has it with lemon.

V) A FEW + countable in the plural: a small number or amount. like for SEVERAL, the verb after it is in the plural. 

- Several students had come, but a few of them were missing. 

 
           

VI) "COMPARISONS":

* LESS... (THAN)+ uncountable in the singular. (LESS is the comparative form of LITTLE)
- I have less water than he has... You should ask him to give you some. 

* FEWER (THAN)+ countable noun in the plural (FEWER is the comparative form of FEW)
- There were fewer people than usual listening to the politician's speech. 

* SUCH A LITTLE QUANTITY,  a VERY SMALL QUANTITY: 
- so little // so few...

* AN INSUFFICIENT QUANTITY, or NUMBER of...: 
- Too little.../ too few... 
                                      

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1. 'This cake is already very sweet... no need to add fewerlittlea littlemore littlea fewI don't know sugar on top!'

2. 'He’s so busy at the moment that he has fewerfewa littlelittlea fewI don't know time to read. That’s a pity!'

3. Because of the heavy rain, less fewfewerfewmore littlelittleI don't know people attended the open-air gathering.

4. More fewLittleFewMore fewerMore littleI don't know people can read or speak Latin and Ancient Greek nowadays.

5. There are littlefewfewerlittlerI don't know boys than girls in this class, but they are so restless that nobody can work harmoniously.

This manager has very littlefewerlittle sofewI don't know time to close the deal and littleso fewso littlemore fewerI don't know employees to help him that he has to cancel the holiday he had planned.

7. 'Oh dear! I’ve put too littleso fewermore littleso fewI don't know chocolate when making the cake... It’s quite tasteless. I’m so disappointed.'

8. ' A littleLittleLittle fewFewI don't know students were really listening to what the teacher was announcing, and then, of course, in the end, they asked dozens of questions.'

9. 'I’d like a fewfewfewerlittlea littleI don't know silence, please.I can’t work in such a noise.'