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ESL forum >
Ask for help > A dilemma
A dilemma
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zvonka.rink
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A dilemma
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Dear friends,
I would be very grateful if you could help me to solve my dilemma.
Namely, in my test paper I expected the answer:
Seven minutes after midnight... (From The Curious Incident of the Dog)
However,some students wrote: Few minutes.... and some A few minutes...
Now, I believe A few is OK, but I �m not sure about Few minutes.
What do you think? I would really like to hear your opinion on my "dilemma". Of course students would be really happy if both were right.
Thanx and enjoy the rest of the day.
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2 Mar 2011
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maayyaa
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Hello fellow teachers,
FEW and A FEW can both be used and may be correct, however, there is a difference in meaning.
Few is negative in connotation. It means a small amount of something, but still not enough. I am sad because I have few friends.
A few is positive in connotation. It means a small amount of something, but enough at the same time. I just moved here, but I am happy because I have a few friends.
Hope this helps! |
2 Mar 2011
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vickyvar
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I agree with maayyaa, but I wouldn �t use few in this context.
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2 Mar 2011
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tulpen25
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"A few minutes after midnight" makes sense.
"Few minutes after midnight" does not.
Hope that helps. |
2 Mar 2011
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zvonka.rink
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Well, I know the meaning and the difference between few and a few. But as far as the meaning is concerned I like Vicky and Tulpen wouldn �t use few in this context. The question here is whether 7 minutes can be "negative" in meaning.
Thank you for your suggestions.
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2 Mar 2011
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yanogator
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Yes, it would be correct to think of 7 minutes as being "few" in number (as compared to an hour), but, like the others, I wouldn �t ever say "Few minutes after midnight". Bruce |
3 Mar 2011
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