In English, the presence or absence of the indefinite article can sometimes make a big difference by making a statement positive or negative, such as in “few”/”a few”, “little”/”a little”:
Examples:
| ( – ) ( + ) few <——————> a few little <—————–> a little |
Few staff members have read all the staff rules.
= not many
A few staff members have read all the staff rules.
= some
Few people noticed the deadline for the post had changed.
= not many
A few people noticed the deadline for the post had changed.
= some
As our flight leaves in 30 minutes, we’ll have little time for duty-free shopping.
= not much
As our flight leaves in an hour, we’ll have a little time for duty-free shopping.
= some
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Author: Carol Waites
Presentation/editing by Christina O’Shaughnessy
https://worldwidewriting.org/
________________________________________________
Carol Waites (PhD)
Email: carolswritingtips@gmail.com
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