Some is more than a couple/few/several, and many is more than that. How to use few in a sentence. 11 is the outer limit of few for items (especially cookies.). An example: "Quite a few people are irked by chatfilter.". Thus the sentence She lives only a couple of miles away implies not only that the distance is short but that its exact measure is unimportant. 13 Responses to “Few vs. Several” Brad K. on May 10, 2008 1:26 pm Few usually seems to mean a ration, a small portion, rather than a distinct number. Few people stopped to listen to the preacher on the corner. says that while “couple” has traditionally meant a pair, “in some uses, the precise number is vague. Or maybe more. Oddly, I've been having this same conversation over the past few weeks with my 9 year old, who is very literal-minded and having trouble grappling with words representing relative concepts. "A few" is never less than three, but could sometimes be a couple more. Lv 7. "Just wait right over there for a few minutes while we make your new driver's license." This surprises many people but highlights some of the dangers of taking the LSAT without preparing beforehand. And she told me "a few" was 3, but this was in relation to me want a some of her candy. The posting cites this comment from American Heritage: “The of in the phrase a couple of is often dropped in speech, but this omission is usually considered a mistake, especially in formal contexts.”. Adoption fees may be more economical than buying a pet outright, and many shelters cover initial health exams, along with spaying or neutering (procedures that can cost an … ‘he was one one of the few who survived’. When I was a kid, I used to think that several=seven. (Ms. 71 tapping foot after 5 minutes). Plasma TVs were great, but these are still old TVs. Łatwo zapamiętać to w ten sposób: few ma trzy literki, więc bardzo mało, a few ma cztery literki - wciąż mało, ale jednak więcej niż tylko trzy. Examples: He has a little money left. Probably because they sounded like the same word. it went like this: If you're Julie Andrews, a few is fourteen or fifteen, depending on whether snowflakes that stay on your nose and eyelashes count as two different things. Once you invite seven or more people over, it's a bunch. Using many, much, a few, a little TEST online Measurements with Noncount Nouns Units of measure are used with noncount nouns to express a specific quantity. If you are an old subscriber and not getting posts, please subscribe again. When the number of things is great, many is the word that is more appropriate. I am with jamaro. The whole point of terms like "a couple" and "a few" is that they're inexact. i once saw a sign in a fast food restaurant about how catsup should be distributed based on terminology. And the noun was used shortly thereafter to mean two animals of the opposite sex (c. 1325) and a brace holding two hounds together (c. 1340). To me (a Minnesotan, if that has any bearing), a couple, a few, and several are for the most part interchangeable. Y'all are N-V-T-S nuts. View synonyms. Up to 400 milligrams (mg) of caffeine a day appears to be safe for most healthy adults. More than several/a few/a couple of you have asked. That's a really interesting point made above about it possibly varying regionally. Utilizaremos un cuantificador u otro en función de la cantidad (mayor o menor) y del tipo de sustantivo (contable o incontable). Answer Save. So, "a few" cannot be one, but it can be as low as two. Ask MetaFilter is where thousands of life's little questions are answered. Clearly this argument can get heated and this is why we can no longer discuss this at home. A couple is two (possibly 2 and a half, if we're talking about cookies.) Q: I grew up believing that a “few” was three and a “couple” was two. 2. When you say a few days, you are not sure how many. We don’t normally use them in affirmative sentences. If I catch 10 sardines it is a few, if I cook and eat 10 sardines it is a lot. Ah the good old days. To keep it simple, though, it is synonymous with a large amount/number, a huge amount/number and … En esta lección vamos a aprender: Explicación de cómo usar los CUANTIFICADORES EN INGLES. Although three-fourths of the American Heritage Usage Panel found “a couple books” unacceptable, a fifth of the panel said it was OK in informal speech and writing. A couple = 2 Several= 7 or more (sev-eral—sev-en) A few = the range between several and a few the word "few" is relative. In other words, it all depends. The Few that Winston Churchill referred to was a small portion of the ‘many’, the population of England, and possibly the world. While many would agree that few means three or more, the dictionary definition is, “not many but more than one.” So, a few cannot be one, but it can be as low as two. a) a few b) much c) many 6) We have a _____ time, we don`t have to hurry. They also provide cable television and phone services to residential and business customers. it's utterly relative. I usually respond that I would be happy to explain in a few minutes, but that I have a couple things I need to finish up first. to complete the sentences 1 If I want to pass the exam, I need to study a lot a lot of many . But you can change that. However, there are a few … She said I could have a few pieces and when I went for more than 3, I was over my limit. And when he says he’ll repay you in “a couple of days,” don’t mark a date on your calendar. ‘few thought to challenge these assumptions’. If you’re looking to find ways to care for a cat that better fit your budget, here are a few simple tips: Think Adoption First. We did several (hah) rounds of him demanding to know exactly how many is a couple, a few, a bunch, several, some, etc. describes  the definition “a few; several” as “informal,” but goes on to say this: “Modern critics have sometimes maintained that a couple of is too inexact to be appropriate in formal writing. Relatively speaking it is exactly about three. A few may be two, but a couple may NEVER BE THREE. The latter can occur within a few … We use much/many in negative sentences and questions.We use many before plural countable nouns and much before uncountable nouns. Learn more. I created it for reviewing as this is the end of the school year for us here in Greece. We’re sorry if the inexactness of this answer disappoints you. I think it can mean anything more than two (so three, although in some cases it can even mean just two) up through five, most of the time. much/many . some is much more vague, and depends on the application. In (a): some water = an unspecific quantity. There is no much difference between the two phrases. a couple is fixed. How much is too much? Well, sort of. The OED has no entries that would define “couple” as meaning other than two. Don't forget that if "few" is preceded by "quite a," you have to multiply by at least three -- possibly four or more, but at least three. Download full-size image from Pinterest . Interactive exercises for esl For example, For instance, a few people over for a party (3-7 perhaps) is different from only a few people showing up at a conference (30 instead of 300). My step father is German and my girlfriend is Spanish, and though they both speak English better than I do, this is one of the questions that they have both asked me. In the context of 'a few drinks' it would be surprising if it was ever three. But lest this seem too romantic, we should mention that at the same time, the verb “couple” meant to “yoke,” as in to connect a horse to a cart. But you can change that. (preceded by a) a small number of a few drinks. many for countable, much for uncountable in (?). Let’s begin with “few.” It was first seen in written English back as the 800s, according to citations in the Oxford English Dictionary. Likewise, those of us who accept 'few' to be a relative term will just have to accept that when others hear 'few' they think 'three'. When some one says I'll give you an answer in a few weeks , does that mean 2, 3 or more? But many standard dictionaries and usage guides do. So a few is just in the neighborhood of 3 to 5, not entirely specific. The noun “couple” originally meant “a pair” or “a union of two.” It was derived from the Latin copula, meaning a tie or a connection, and was first recorded in writing about 1300 in reference to a man and woman united in marriage. Buy our books at a local store, Amazon.com, or Barnes&Noble.com. If you say a … But I just looked them up and found no mention of three in the definitions of “few,” and “more than two” as a meaning of “couple.” Can you give these words a firm meaning? As I ate my two slices, my co-worker asked "how did you know she would only give you two?" A few, a little, fewer, less.Free grammar exercises online. Nothing wrong with thinking that few=three. The short answer: as much as $5,000 a year. By the late 14th century, “couple” (generally followed by “of”) was being used to mean two of anything. Essentially, it’s equivalent to a few or several. Few - little: quantifiers exercises. I believe it to be more than 2 but less than 10. posted by horsemuth at 9:23 PM on June 29, 2007. Quantity words. Garner’s Modern American Usage (3rd ed.) In 2013, Comcast expanded its reach into entertainment by purchasing NBC and pretty much all of its properties. That's roughly the amount of caffeine in four cups of brewed coffee, 10 cans of cola or two "energy shot" drinks. To me "a few" is more than 2 ("a couple"), but a small amount. The quantity is usually between three and five when the word few is used as couple is reserved for two. A: When someone asks you to lend him “a few dollars,” he could mean almost any amount. a) much b) lot of c) little 7) He doesn`t have a big salary. This usage should be considered unobjectionable on all levels of style.”. a) a few b) much c) a little 9) Do we need to buy bread? I remember seeing a study quoted somewhere that found that it rapidly becomes harder to several items at a time in groups of more than five. A few is an indeterminate small number. Many-one, many-two, many-three, many-many. When do we use a little/little and when a few/few? Ben has few friends in London. Few refers to countable nouns, and is used with the plural form to indicate not many persons or things. "Many are called, but three are chosen?" Ms. 71 thinks it to be three exactly. Enter your email address to subscribe to the blog by email. It means at least three, and it means the person is not very serious about giving you an answer at … In (b): a glass of water = a specific quantity. Few definition is - not many persons or things. a small number, a handful, a sprinkling, one or two, a couple, two or three. few meaning: 1. some, or a small number of something: 2. used in expressions such as "quite a few" to mean…. few people → mało ludzi a little money → trochę pieniędzy (mało, ale na coś tam starczy) a few people → trochę ludzi . A couple is what I use to say 3 or 4 when I don't want to lie but still want the other person to think it was less. If it always meant "exactly three", why would one ever say "a few" instead of "three"? Oh and to play devil's advocate, if few is loosely defined then what's the meaning of the phrase "more than a few" as in "Oh yeah, I've been there more than a few times..."? The short answer: as much as $5,000 a year. I think that Ms. 71 would be rather put out at illustrious institutions such as...oh, the BMV, for example. Ask MetaFilter is a question and answer site that covers nearly any question on earth, where members help each other solve problems. RE. It is usually used in a relative sense, meaning more than what is expected in a usual scenario. When I looked up a quantity for the word “few” the first hit I encountered stated this: “While many people would agree that ‘few’ means three or more, the actual dictionary definition of ‘few’ is, ‘not many but more than one.’ So a ‘few’ cannot be one, but it … What does she think "I had a few words with him" means? And when he says he’ll repay you in “a couple of days,” don’t mark a date on your calendar. Favorite Answer. My argument about a "couple" being 2 OR 3 is thus : I think it is highly dependent on context. He has a few … A few is a random variable, normally distributed with a mean of 3 and a standard deviation of about 0.55 thereabouts. 8 Answers. In informal contexts this usage is quite common and unexceptionable.”, Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (11th ed.) Let's say there are 30 people in a park. a little: non countable nouns (milk, marmalade, money, time etc.) People who take too much ibuprofen may experience side effects that range from stomach pain to severe bleeding in the digestive tract. A value between 3-6, but is often used informally to describe any value above 1. Much, many, a little, a few Poslať e-mailom Stiahnuť PDF Vytlačiť Slová „much, many“ sú nazývané „quantifiers“ a v angličtine používajú na vyjadrenie množstva (quantity). How much is "a few" weeks? Basic Words: Sometimes words may not have an exact definition, and one has to use context to understand what they mean. Well, if you're talking about something outside the context of a larger group, it's at least three, maybe as many as five. Likewise, growing up in Southern California I always thought that a few was 2-5. A lot, much, many, little, few... Los quantifiers nos ayudan a expresar una cantidad indeterminada de algo . One thousand seven hundred and forty-five. For example: I’ve got little money left in my account. if mrs. 71 were right, there would only be three u.s. marines in the entire corps. a small number of; hardly any few men are so cruel. 2 Used to emphasize how small a number of people or things is. What “a few” means to me might be different than what “a few” means to you. A couple is two (possibly 2 and a half, if we're talking about cookies.) defines this sense of the word as “an indefinite small number” or “few.”. 2 There aren't a lot much many things to do in this village. I think that perhaps relatedly, a few usually does not mean more than five. (as pronoun; functioning as plural) many are called but few are chosen. Generally understood to mean at least three. few definition: 1. some, or a small number of something: 2. used in expressions such as "quite a few" to mean…. A: When someone asks you to lend him “a few dollars,” he could mean almost any amount. 1 decade ago. I too am from SoCal, but a couple is only two to me. How many is a few? “A good few” means “a fair number,” and “quite a few” and “not a few” both mean “a considerable number.”. It's not, so few is indefinite. While many people would agree that "a few" means three or more, the actual dictionary definition of "a few" is, "not many but more than one." Some insisted “a few” meant three and only three. Few means 'not many but some,' as in 'The train leaves in a few minutes,' and several denotes more than the words couple and few do but implies lesser than the word many does. Scientifically verified ways to improve happiness... What are some mindblowing scientific concepts. The thing about 'a few' being always three in the mind of some people is that they should accept there are more than a few people who don't think that. I think it really depends on the usage on where the person grew up. It's grammatical usage indicates that the number isn't necessarily defined or known (otherwise you'd just say "three", wouldn't you?). Join 6,470 readers in helping fund MetaFilter. From the beginning, it has meant “not many” or “amounting to a small number.”, When “few” appears without a preceding word like “a” or “some,” the OED says, it implies the opposite of “many.”, But in phrases like “a few” or “some few,” according to the dictionary, it implies the opposite of “none at all.”, As examples of the two usages, the OED cites these constructions: “few, or perhaps none,” and “a few, or perhaps many.”, There are several idiomatic variations on this theme. Relevance. a few: countable nouns (bottles of milk, jars of marmalade, dollars, minutes etc.) ‘very few of … I would think a few is usually more than two but less than ten with exceptions like having a few people over for a party. Two = a couple, five = some. When I asked my mom for cookies when I was a little kid, "a few" always meant three. I believe it to be more than 2 but less than 10. In case you’re interested, we once wrote about another inexact term, “several.” Like “few” and “couple,” you can’t pin “several” down. I think a few is three or four, never two or five. I don’t like it that a word can mean different things to different people. That standard has served me well since. If few referred to a specific amount, it'd probably be in the dictionary.

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