Little And Few

[hany]

Hello teachers,

I would like to know what is the obvious difference bettween
little and few

Thanks

[Torsten]

Hi Hany,

As you probably know we use «little» for uncountable and «few» for countable nouns. For example we say:

«There is only little water in that glass.»
«Few members approve of the decision.»

TOEIC listening, question-response: What's your phone number, please?

[Avdhesh2]

Hi Hany,

We use little with singular words (usually uncountable) and few with plurals words (usually countable).

I have little interest in politics.

Only a few customers have come in.

I hope this helps.

cheers!

Avdhesh

[Mordant]

It's worth noting that "little" can also refer to countable and plural nouns, but then it means insignificance in import or size but not amount or number. It usually relates to physical size in such instances.

He argues about little things.
Braxton is such a little child.
I like little animals.
I cannot get much protection from this little umbrella.
If you want to be that difficult about it, you can take your little game and go back home.

"Little" in the last sentence is an informal use intended to make the game sound trivial.

There is, of course, an eternal debate about "less" and "fewer."

"Less" is the comparative form of "little," and it is often argued that it therefore cannot be used for number. In truth, however, that use is centuries old, but it disappeared from most formal writing and now has enough long-standing opposition to be questioned as nonstandard.

*We have less problems than you. - Incorrect

But

We have fewer problems than you. - Correct

Some exceptions are considered idiomatic, although even they come under fire from some stricter grammarians.

He arrived in less than 20 minutes. - Time never takes "fewer."
He loaned me less than $20. - Nor does money.
It is less than 60 degrees outside. -Temperature.
He is less than 5 feet tall. - Dimensions or weight.

Describe yourself in sixteen words or less.
This lane is reserved for customers with 10 items or less. - If it's at the end of a sentence and is used with a limit, somehow "less" seems more acceptable to people. That's funny, isn't it?

I personally am less bothered by the use of "less" with countable nouns than I used to be, because there are so many exceptions and it has been around so long. Awareness of it has to be high, too, because you'll often see hyphens for clarity.

The company seeks less-expensive ways to reward workers. - That hyphen, common, indicates that we don't want fewer ways to reward them but cheaper ones. We wouldn't bother with the distinction if "less" before countable nouns were a rare usage problem.