few*/*/*/

[fjuː]

(comparative fewer; superlative fewest) grammar word summary: Few or a few can be: ■ a determiner: Few people live there now. ♦ There were a few animals in the barn. ■ a pronoun: Many have tried, but few have succeeded. ♦ A few of the visitors left early. Few can be: ■ an adjective: Her few decent clothes were now dirty.

1) some, but not many

I spoke with a few colleagues about it.[/ex]

I'm not sure how many I'll need, so give me a few more.[/ex]

Everything is expected to change in the next few years.[/ex]

Clean the cage every few days.[/ex]

A few of the plates were chipped.[/ex]

2) very small in number

Few managers attend the meetings.[/ex]

Why were there so few women in Parliament?[/ex]

We get very few complaints of racial discrimination.[/ex]

Few of the companies offer a home delivery service.[/ex]

Poe is among the few to have tackled this question.[/ex]

A few usually has a positive meaning and refers to a number of people or things that is not very large: I've got a few questions for you. Few usually has a negative meaning and refers to a number that is smaller than you would like or expect: Very few people came to her party. Few is rather formal when used in this negative way and in spoken English it is more usual to say not many.

•

few and far between — not happening very often, or not existing in many places[/ex]

Opportunities for promotion are few and far between.[/ex]

quite a few — a fairly large number of people or things[/ex]

The letter arrived quite a few days ago.[/ex]

See:

less

Both fewer and less can be used to refer to an amount that is smaller than another amount. ■ Use fewer before plural nouns: Fewer people came than we expected. ♦ There are fewer restaurants in the area these days. ■ Use less before uncountable nouns: It took less time than I thought. ♦ You should use less paint.