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Usage of "only (a) few"



 
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ESL Forums | English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
The SYSTEM has been locked. vs 'State' of the system or 'action' | state vs activity
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Usage of "only (a) few" Tue Sep 09, 2008 9:51 am  Usage of "only (a) few"
 

1. Only a few people know about it.
2. Only few people know about it.
What's the difference in meaning between the above two sentences?
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Sitifan
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Usage of "only (a) few" Tue Sep 09, 2008 9:53 am  Usage of "only (a) few"
 

a few = some
few = not many

I wouldn't use the second sentence.
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Usage of "only (a) few" Tue Sep 09, 2008 12:50 pm  Usage of "only (a) few"
 

Hi Sitifan

Using the word "only" with "a few" adds a negative sense that "a few" otherwise wouldn't have. That makes "only a few" more similar to "few".
.

I'm sure that "only few" is also used on occasion, and I'd say in this case the word "only" would emphasize/intensify the negative sense of "not many". However, I'd also say it would be much more common to say "very few".
.
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Usage of "only (a) few" Tue Sep 09, 2008 15:57 pm  Usage of "only (a) few"
 

Yankee wrote:
I'm sure that "only few" is also used on occasion, and I'd say in this case the word "only" would emphasize/intensify the negative sense of "not many". However, I'd also say it would be much more common to say "very few".
.

I'd say that in "only few people know" it's either a case of ellipsis of "a" before "few", or the "only" means "but".
Molly
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