Quantifiers: 'few', 'a few', 'little' and 'a bit of'
Look at these examples to see how these quantifiers are used with countable and uncountable nouns.
I have a few friends, so I'm not lonely.
She has few friends, so she's quite lonely.
We've got a bit of time before our train. Shall we get a coffee?
We've got very little time before our train. Hurry up!
Try this exercise to test your grammar.
- Grammar test 1
Read the explanation to learn more.
Grammar explanation
A few and a bit of or a little mean some. Often we feel this amount is enough or more than we expected. We use a few with plural nouns and a bit of or a little with uncountable nouns.
I have a few ideas.
I've brought a few friends.
There's a bit of milk left.
It needs a little more work.
We use few and very little to show that we are talking about a small amount. Often we feel this amount is not enough or less than we expected. Few is for countable nouns and very little is for uncountable nouns.
Few people came to the meeting.
There are few places where you can still see these birds.
We have very little time.
I have very little money.
Note that you can use little without very, but it is less common and sounds quite formal.
She had little water.
Do this exercise to test your grammar again.
- Grammar test 2
One evening, my mother called me and said:
"Peter, I’ll be a little late because I’m going to the supermarket to get some groceries. Open the fridge and tell me what’s inside."
I went to the kitchen and did what she asked right away.
I told her:
"We have a few oranges, but few apples. Also we have got very little jam, but there is a little honey."
All my answers were correct. I summarized the rules in the form of a mind map.
I drew two groups of oranges:
a- The first group contains 10 oranges, and I wrote " a few " underneath.
b- The second group contains only 2 oranges, and I wrote " few " underneath.
--->These two groups represent countable quantities.
On the other hand, I drew two groups of cake:
c- The first has a large piece, with " a bit of " written underneath.
d- The second has a small piece, labeled "little / very little".
---> These two groups represent uncountable quantities.
These drawings are an effective tool for understanding and mentally reinforcing the rules.
They can also be relied on to successfully complete any exercise.
After writing a short text that includes these quantifiers, the images can be used during the revision phases, which helps integrate the language points more effectively.
I think there is a mistake here. The correction is:
The first has a large piece, with " a bit of / little " (because a bit of and little are the same).
The second has a small piece, labeled "very little".
I was confused, you're right
a bit of = a little
very little = little
To be honest, I didn’t understand this topic but I will try to chat something
Hello
In above example can i say
I have a few money? Than i have a little money?
Because money is countable
Hello David998,
It sounds strange but in English money is uncountable, so you can use quantifiers like 'a little', 'some' or 'a lot of' but you can't use 'a few'.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Money is uncountable because you can't say I have one money two money or three money, you say the value of the money like 1 dollar. That's why we used little money
I would like to appreciate to every one who contributed on this topic. I have leant a lot
Dear The LearnEnglish Team,
May I know the difference of "a few" and "some".
Thank you.