Question

Помогите,пожалуйста,с английским.Даю 25 баллов! A few, few or quite a few? A little or just little? How do I choose not to make a terrible mistake with these tiny little words! Which sentences make sense? I can’t help you. I speak very few English. I am also a stranger here, I know just few places that I could recommend to you. I’ve got only a little sugar so I can’t make this wonderful cake. I have not read this book in original, I can say very little about it. Unfortunately, very a few of his friends can speak English.

Answer 1

Few - мало, используется с исчисляемыми существительными
a few - немного, но достаточно, тоже с исчисляемыми

little - мало, с неисчисляемыми
a little - немного, но достаточно, также с неисчисляемыми

1. неправильно (speak little English)
2. правильно
3. правильно
4. правильно
неправильно (very few of his friends)

Answer 2

A few, Few, Quite a few

The phrases "a few," "few," and "quite a few" are used to indicate the quantity of something. Here's a breakdown of how they are used:

- A few: This phrase is used when there are some of something, indicating a small but notable quantity. For example, "I have a few friends in the city."

- Few: This phrase is used to indicate a small number of something, often with a negative connotation of scarcity or insufficiency. For example, "Few people attended the event."

- Quite a few: This phrase is used to indicate a relatively large number of something, more than expected or more than usual. For example, "Quite a few students scored top marks in the exam."

A little, Just little

The phrases "a little" and "just little" are used to describe the quantity of uncountable nouns. Here's how they are used:

- A little: This phrase is used to indicate a small amount of something, often with a positive connotation of sufficiency. For example, "I have a little time to spare."

- Just little: This phrase is not commonly used in English. Instead, "very little" is more appropriate in most cases to indicate a very small amount, often with a negative connotation of insufficiency. For example, "There is just a little milk left" would be more commonly expressed as "There is very little milk left."

Correcting the Sentences

Based on the explanations above, let's correct the sentences to use the appropriate phrases:

1. "I can’t help you. I speak very little English." 2. "I am also a stranger here, I know just a few places that I could recommend to you." 3. "I’ve got only a little sugar so I can’t make this wonderful cake." 4. "I have not read this book in the original, I can say very little about it." 5. "Unfortunately, very few of his friends can speak English."

I hope this helps clarify the usage of these phrases! If you have any more questions or need further assistance, feel free to ask!