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ESL forum >
Grammar and Linguistics > Only (a) little / only (a) few
Only (a) little / only (a) few
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mariflo
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Only (a) little / only (a) few
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little and few without the indefinite article have a negative meaning.
BUT: when we use only in front of them we must use the indefinite article a again with a negative meaning.
My question is: Can we say only little or only few without the article?
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27 May 2013
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mohamedthabet
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few / little (without the article) are already negative when meaning not many / not much. So I feel it �s not natural that they be preceded by "only"; it would sound like doubling the negative meaning.
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27 May 2013
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yanogator
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No, it doesn �t work. We use "only" with specific numbers, or with expressions (such as "a little" or "a few") that are not quite specific, but indicate a tight range of numbers. There were only 4 people in my class this morning. There are only a few cookies left. He only drank a little milk with his breakfast. "Little" and "few" are too non-specific to use with "only". Bruce |
28 May 2013
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