07 FEW / A FEW / LITTLE / A LITTLE Flashcards
A few and a little
They give a positive idea; they indicate that something exists, is present
She has been here only two weeks, but she has already made a few friends
Positive idea: She has made some friends
I’m very pleased. I’ve been able to save a little money this month
Positive idea: I have saved some money instead of spending all of it
Few and little (without a) give a negative idea
They indicate that something is largely absent
Very (+ few/little) makes the negative stronger,
the number/amount smaller
A few and few are used with
plural count nouns
A little and little are used with
noncount nouns
FEW
POCAS; NARANJAS
FEW FRIENDS
LITTLE
POCO
A FEW
ALGUNOS
A LITLE
UN POCO; SUGAR
QUITE A FEW
BASTANTES
QUITE A FEW FRIENDS. MUCHOS AMIGOS
I feel sorry for her. She has (very) few friends
(Negative idea: She does not have many friends; she has almost no friends.)
I have (very) little money I don’t even have enough money to buy food for dinner.
(Negative idea: I do not have much money; I have almost no money.)
Some expressions of quantity (such as a lot of)
always contain of,
A lot Of books are paperbacks.
A lot Of my books are paperbacks
Sometimes of is used with an expression of quantity,
and sometimes of is NOT used with the same expression of quantity
CORRECT: Many of my books are paperbacks
INCORRECT: Many my books are paperbacks
CORRECT: Many books are paperbacks.
INCORRECT: Many of books are paperbacks
PAPERBACK
Libros rúticos, libros de pasta blanda, libros económicos
EXPRESSIONS OF QUANTITY THAT ALWAYS CONTAIN OF
a lot of a number of a majority of lots of a great deal of plenty of
EXPRESSIONS OF QUANTITY THAT SOMETIMES CONTAIN OF AND SOMETIMES NOT
all (of); most (of); almost all (of)
many (of); much (of); a few (of); a little (of)
one (of); two (of); three (of)
both (of); some (of); several (of); any (of)
Of is used with the expressions of quantity when the noun is specific. A noun is specific when it is preceded by:
- my, John’s (or any possessive)
- this, that, these, or those
- the
Examples
(h) Many Of my books are in English.
(i) Many of those books are in English.
(j) Many of the books on that shelf are in English.
Of is NOT used with the expressions of quantity if the noun it modifies is nonspecific.
The noun books is nonspecific;
ie., the speaker is not referring to “your books” or “these books” or “the books on that desk.”
The speaker is not referring to specific books, but to books in general.
Directions: Without substantially changing the meaning Of the sentence, replace the italicized words with
a few, (very) few, a little, or (very) little.
I think that SOME lemon juice on fish makes it taste better
A LITTLE
Many people are multilingual, but NOT MANY people speak more than ten languages
VERY FEW
SOME- sunshine is better than none.
A LITTLE
January is a cold and dreary month in the northern states. There is not MUCH sunshine during that month.
LITTLE
My parents like to watch TV. Every evening they watch TWO OR THREE programs on TV before they go to bed.
FEW
I don’t watch TV very much because there are HARDLY ANY television programs that I enjoy.
VERY FEW
If a door squeaks, SEVERAL drops of oil in the right places can prevent future trouble.
A FEW
If your door squeaks, put SOME oil on the hinges.
A LITTLE
SIN “OF” PORQUE ES GENERAL
SOME OF THIS OIL SE PODRÍA
Mr. Adams doesn’t like to wear rings on his fingers. He wears ALMOST no jewelry.
LITTLE NO
You might reach your goal if you put forth SOME more effort.
LITTLE
Even though the mountain is .very steep and the climb is hazardous, SEVERAL strong-willed people have managed to reach the top.
A FEW
The number of people in the world who are willing to risk their lives climbing a dangerous mountain is small. NOT VERY MANY people will actually face death to climb a mountain.
VERY FEW
When I went shopping yesterday, there were several XXXXXXX jackets in my size.
0
Several XXXXXXX the jackets were made of 100 percent wool.
OF
Many XXXXXXX students work part-time while they are attending school.
0
Many XXXXXXX my classmates have part-time jobs.
OF
Some XXXXXXX dairy products are high in cholesterol.
0
Some XXXXXXX my favorite kinds of food are not good for me to eat.
OF
The teacher didn’t fail any XXXXXXX the students in his class.
OF
Any XXXXXXX passengers who have first-class tickets can board the plane first.
0
I picked a few XXXXXXX flowers from my garden and made a bouquet.
0
A few XXXXXXX the flowers in the bouquet have already wilted.
OF
Everyone needs a little XXXXXXX luck in life.
0
Most XXXXXXX babies learn to walk before their first birthday.
0
Our company imports products from abroad. Most XXXXXXX these new products are testmarketed in selected cities.
OF
Most XXXXXXX people enjoy picnics.
0
Some XXXXXXX the people we want to invite for our anniversary dinner will be on vacation.
OF
Not all XXXXXXX trees lose their leaves in winter.
0
Complete the sentences with a few, a little, few, or little
a few,
few,
a little,
little
Can you give me XXXXXXX advice? The problem is that I have XXXXXXX friends, and I often feel lonely. I work late every night and on weekends I take care of my mother
A LITTLE
FEW
So I have XXXXXXX opportunities to go out. Can you give me XXXXXXX tips on how to meet more people?
FEW
A FEW
It’s great that you are taking care of your mother, but you have given yourself too XXXXXXX time for your personal life
LITTLE
The first thing you have to do is to set aside XXXXXXX hours every week for your social life. Then make a list of XXXXXXX friends that you would like to spend more time with
A FEW
FEW
Let them know that you would like to spend XXXXXXX more time with them.
A LITTLE
In XXXXXXX weeks, and with just XXXXXXX effort on your part, your social group will start to grow
A FEW
A LITTLE
When a noun is specific (e.g., the students), using of after all is optional
When a noun is nonspecific, of does NOT follow all,
CORRECT: All of the students in my class are here.
CORRECT: All the students In my class are here.
CORRECT: All students must have an I.D. card.
INCORRECT: All of students must have an I.D. card.
Using OF after both is optional when the noun is specific,
I know both (of) those men
When a noun is nonspecific, OF does NOT follow both
CORRECT: I know both men
INCORRECT: I know both of men
Usually an object pronoun is used as the object of a verb or preposition
Larry was in the theater.
I saw him .
I talked to him
A reflexive pronoun is used as the object of a verb or preposition when the SUBJECT of the sentence and the OBJECT are the SAME person
I saw myself in the mirror.
I looked at myself for a long time.
INCORRECT: I saw me in the mirror.
Reflexive pronouns are also used for emphasis.
The speaker would say “I myself” strongly, with emphasis.
The emphatic reflexive pronoun can immediately follow a noun or pronoun
or come at the end of the clause
Did someone fax the report to Mr. Lee?
—Yes.
—Are you sure?
—Yes. I myself faxed the report to him.
OR
—I faxed the report to him myself.
The expression by + a reflexive pronoun means “alone.”
Anna lives by herself
The pronouns refer to particular individuals whose gender is known. The nouns are not generic.
A student walked into the room. She was looking for the teacher.
A student walked into the room. He was looking for the teacher
A generic noun* does not refer to any person or thing in particular; rather, it represents a whole group.
A student should always do his assignments.
A student is a generic noun; it refers to anyone who is a student.
With a generic noun, a singular masculine pronoun has been used traditionally, but many English speakers now use both masculine and feminine pronouns to refer to a singular generic noun.
A student should always do his /her assignments. A student should always do his or her assignments.
The use of both masculine and feminine pronouns can create awkward-sounding sentences.
Problems with choosing masculine and/or feminine pronouns can often be avoided by using a plural rather than a singular generic noun.
Students should always do their assignments
INDEFINITE PRONOUNS
everyone ; everybody; everything
someone; somebody; something
anyone; anybody; anything
no one; nobody; nothing
A singular pronoun is used in formal English to refer to an indefinite pronoun,
Somebody left his book on the desk.
Everyone has his or her own ideas.
In everyday informal English, a plural personal pronoun is often used to refer to an indefinite pronoun.
INFORMAL:
Somebody left their book on the desk. Everyone has their own ideas.
Both XXXXXXX those books are mine
OF/0
I bought two books. Both XXXXXXX books were expensive.
OF/0
Se menciona por segunda vez
Almost all XXXXXXX students study hard for exams.
0
All XXXXXXX birds have wings, but not all XXXXXXX birds can fly. Both XXXXXXX the birds in the picture are incapable of flight.
0
0
OF/0
I have two brothers. Both XXXXXXX my brothers
are in school.
OF/0
Do you know all XXXXXXX the people in-your biology class?
OF/0
All XXXXXXX the students in my class are studying English.
OF/0
Not all XXXXXXX people are friendly, but most XXXXXXX people have kind hearts.
0
0
Some XXXXXXX fish are surface feeders. Others are bottom feeders.
0
Some XXXXXXX the fish we caught were too small to keep.
OF
Almost all XXXXXXX the fish in Jennifer’s aquarium died. She finally had to admit that she didn’t know much about taking care of tropical fish.
OF/0
I bought several XXXXXXX books at the used book sale.
0
Several XXXXXXX my friends and I have volunteered to clean up the litter left on the school grounds by thoughtless students.
OF
The airline was crippled by a strike last month, but now it’s over. All XXXXXXX the pilots were happy to get back to work after the strike.
OF/0
Most XXXXXXX people have a little XXXXXXX trouble using the currency in a foreign for a few XXXXXXX days after they first arrive.
0
0
0
There’s nothing I like better than a good book, but I haven’t done much reading for pleasure lately. Most XXXXXXX the reading I do is related to my work.
OF
It’s important for young people to have goals in their lives. My mother always told me that any XXXXXXX dream is worth pursuing if I know in my heart it is what I want to do.
0
Few XXXXXXX people have made great accomplishments in life without first having a dream—a personal, inner vision of what is possible.
0
Square dancing is a traditional folk dance in the
United States. We all had a lot XXXXXXX fun learning to square dance at the party.
OF
Many XXXXXXX the people at the party had never done any square dancing before.
OF
When my parents were young, they had little XXXXXXX opportunity to travel.
0
A few XXXXXXX children are given their first watch by the time they are six years old.
0
However, most XXXXXXX these children cannot tell time correctly
OF
ALL (OF)
BOTH (OF)
En caso de que el sustantivo sea ESPECÍFICO
“OF” ES OPCIONAL, puede o no ir
A LITTLE OF
A = Si es positivo
LITTLE = Si es no contable (Sugar)
OF = Si es particular (Acompañado de The; My; Gustavo’s)
