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Vocabulary: little or small

'Small' or 'Tall'! That's elementary vocabulary... It's true! Our Learners meet these words at the beginning of their study of the language, without having to worry about nuances... The problem is that English has two words to express the same concept dealing with 'a small size'. In this lesson, we'll see when to use one or the other.

1. SMALL is used to qualify the size of a person or an object, in an objective way. (little in size or amount when compared with what is typical or average)

- I'd rather live in a small town than a big city.

- Tommy's quite small for his age.

2. LITTLE also means: "small in size or amount", but it adds a subjective tinge of affection, or a touch of contempt or pity.

- A little old man came into the room.

- Be kind to your little brother!

LITTLE cannot be used without a noun.

- Poor little boy! ( and not: Poor little!)

As you can see, this lesson is neither long, nor difficult!

Test your knowledge with the coming exercise! Go for it!

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1. 'Don’t worry! He has long legs and isn’t interested in cars. He won’t borrow yours!'

2. There was a huge traffic jam caused by a stupid man, sitting in the middle of the road and brandishing a placard.

3. 'Oh, look at the cute cat mum! I’d like to have one…'

4. 'I don’t like big cities, but I don’t like the country either. I prefer towns…'

5. 'What a pity! This coat is too for you. The colour suited you… Let’s see if they have your size…'

6. 'Paul’s a very responsible boy and he is very kind to his sister.'

7. 'Would you like a large or a soda with your burger?'

8. In spite of the principle of parity, the number of women in Parliament is still extremely .

9. 'I’m glad we came here! It’s really a wonderful restaurant, isn’t it?'

10. Only a number of applicants will get the job they want!

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