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Form
(a) little + uncountable noun
For example:
I have little milk in the fridge. It's almost finished.
(talking about the amount of something, as milk is measured in
some quantity, but not in number)
For example:
Few people came to the party.
(talking about the number of people)
- 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.)
Note: the use of very (+few/little) makes the negative stronger, the number/amount
smaller.
A Few - A Little
We have a positive idea. That is, we mean the number or amount of something is
satisfactory. Maybe not so many or not so much, but enough.
- She has been here only two weeks, but she has already made a few friends.
(Positive idea: She has made some friends already.)
- 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.)
Examples:
- A few of them went to the cinema.
- He only kept a little of his money with him.
Making comparisons
For example,
"There are fewer people here than last year" or "He drinks less
coffee than I do".
It is grammatically incorrect to say "There are less people here
than last year", as "people" is a plural countable noun.
A LOT OF , LOTS OF
These two expressions both mean a great deal of or several. They are used
before a count or non-count noun. These two expressions tend to be used in
informal English.
- Form:
A lot of - Lots of + singular or plural name
Examples:
Examples:
I enjoy swimming a lot.
Mary seems to travel a lot.
ENOUGH
Form:
adjective or adverb + enough
enough + noun
enough + of + pronoun/determiner
Usage:
1. We use enough to mean sufficient.
Examples:
Your clothes are big enough to fit me.
You've done enough work. You can stop now.
Have you got enough money to buy me a drink?
2. We use enough in negative sentences to mean
less than sufficient or less than necessary.