A few and few,
a little and little
These expressions show the speaker’s attitude towards
the quantity he/she is referring to.
A few (for
countable nouns) and a little (for
uncountable nouns) describe the quantity in a positive way:
“I’ve got a few friends” (= maybe not many, but
enough)
“I’ve got a little money” (= I’ve got enough to live
on)
Few and
little describe the quantity in a
negative way:
Few people visited him in hospital (= he had almost no
visitors)
He had little money (= almost no money)
Some and any
Some
and any are used with countable and
uncountable nouns, to describe an indefinite or incomplete amount.
Some is
used in positive statements.
It is also
used in questions where we are sure about the answer.
“Did he give you some tea?” (= I’m sure he did.)
“Is there some fruit juice in the fridge?” (= I think
there is)
Some is
used where the question is not a request for information, but a way of making a
request, encouraging or giving an invitation.
“Could I have some books, please?”
“Why don’t you take some books home with you?”
Any is
used in questions and with not in negative statements.
“Have you got any tea?”
“He didn’t give me any tea.”
“I don’t think we’ve got any tea left.”
Any can also be used in positive statements to mean ‘no matter which’, ‘no matter
who’, ‘no matter what’:
“You can borrow any of my books.”
“They can choose anything from the menu.”
“You may invite anybody to dinner, I don’t mind who
comes.”
Enough
Enough is placed before the
noun, to indicate the quantity required or necessary:
“There is enough bread for lunch.”
“She has enough money.”
Enough is also used with
adjectives and adverbs:
“We didn’t have enough time to visit The London Museum.”
“Is there enough milk for breakfast?”
“She has enough talent to become an international pop star.”
Slow Food is a global, grassroots organization with
supporters in 150 countries around the world who are linking the pleasure of
good food with a commitment to their community and the environment.
