A Little / A Few - Little / Few

Friends, today we shall discuss about the differences and usage of A little, a few and very little, very few. A little, a few, (very) little and (very) few are quantifiers.

A Little / A Few : 

The expressions A Little / A Few mean some or enough.

Ex :

• "I have got a little money" = I have got some money. It's enough for me to do what I want.
• "I have got a few friends" = I have got some or enough friends. We meet every day.

(very) little and (very) few :

The expressions  (very) little and (very) few  mean hardly any or not enough.

Ex :

• I have got (very) little money = I have got hardly any. I haven't got enough. I'll borrow some from my friend.
• I have got (very) few friends = I have got hardly any. I haven't got enough. I need to make new friends.

Have a look at the following example table for a clear understanding of a little / a few and very little and very few. 

Example	Meaning
I've got a little money. I'm going to pay the exam fee.	some/enough
I've got a few friends. We meet everyday.
I've got (very) little money. I need to borrow some to pay the exam fee.	hardly any / not enough
I've got (very) few friends. I need to make new friends.

Now we shall discuss some rules :

• Affirmative sentences :
• A little, a few, (very) little and (very) few are generally used in affirmative statements, not negatives or questions.

• Countable and uncountable nouns :
• A little and (very) little are used with uncountable nouns (money, bread, water...)
• A few and (very) few are used with countable nouns (friends, tables, teachers..)

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