Use little in a sentence for each word - Word и Excel - помощь в работе с программами

Little sentence. The sentences below are ordered by length from shorter and easier to longer and more complex. They use little in a sentence, providing visitors a sentence for little.

Poor little missy! (8)
Have a little mercy. (10)
Val grew a little red. (8)
There, ye little rascal. (8)
A little of it must be heard. (10)
The little model did not move. (8)
Emilia accompanied them a little way. (10)
The little man smiled a suffering smile. (8)
It demands but little from the executant. (3)
He and Corey had little to do with each other. (9)
His little sweet was the only friend they had. (8)
He swallowed but little, and resumed his march. (8)
And just then her little finger crooked into his. (8)
He was astonished to see her so little disconcerted. (10)
Nedda pressed his hand with a little coaxing squeeze. (8)
Her face flushed a little and grew terribly determined. (8)
The old man took the little pot with dubious reverence. (8)
She too is tall, a little absent, fair, and well-looking. (8)
Her eyes brightened; little red spots came up in her cheeks. (8)
But the wind blew so hard, we could get little else to smoke. (2)
You will have a sweet little wife; all gratitude and devotion. (4)
And at her little clear laugh something moved within Bob Pillin. (8)
His wife made a little move toward him of consolation or support. (9)
I have something to communicate that will astonish you not a little. (4)
Mr. Price cared too little about the report to make her much answer. (4)
Rosek went to the piano, the little dancer to the centre of the room. (8)
They were silent for a little while before their unfinished thoughts. (13)
The little interview which she had interrupted, had arisen in this way. (8)
Up in the little smoking-room in a leather chair his master sat asleep. (8)
Little Jon stretched out Sir Lamorac, feet foremost, and stirred the creature up. (8)
Her face was calm now, faintly smiling, a little eager, provocative in its joy of life. (8)
The sun was on the wing scattering little white clouds, as an eagle might scatter doves. (8)
She will die, if you do not persuade her to take nourishment: a little, for a beginning. (10)
Laura walked a little way with her, till Wilfrid, alert for these occasions, joined them. (10)
A little cold, passing his little strength and flying quickly to his lungs. (8)
Poor little woman, perhaps she was thirsty, certainly she was bored, for Flippard was a wit. (8)
It was to Markey he had given the order that Gyp was to be little Miss Winton for the future. (8)
Poor little Nollie, thinking that by just leaving his house she could settle this deep matter! (8)
What, then, if those tears came of the repressed desire to thank her with some little warmth? (10)
It was as if she had laid hold of him with her little hands to shake him, and had shaken herself. (9)
Father put it into my head, making me look at the little, towny people in Transham this afternoon. (8)
There was little that was sincere, honest, done because the man could do it that way and no other. (13)
Miss Naylor usually attended them; the little lady was, to a certain extent, carried past objection. (8)
Mrs. Bellew gave him a sidelong glance, and a little ironical smile peeped out on her full red lips. (8)
It is to be feared that Mrs. Chump was beginning to abuse her power over the little colourless lady. (10)
Mrs. Bellew looked her in the face and smiled; and as she smiled she seemed to become a little coarser. (8)
I would not look up until that was done; he tried in vain to push me a little away and gaze into my face. (1)
Fiorsen stretched out his hand and seized hers just where her little warm pulse was beating very steadily. (8)
You are to understand, that with a little awakening taste for dissipation, she is the most innocent of angels. (10)
They varied in size and in the number of holes, from three to six, the little finger of each hand not being used. (3)
Boardman seemed to suffer under these expectations a little, and he stole a glance of comical menace at his friend. (9)
But if four months finished Lombardy, less than one month is quite sufficient to do the same for us little beings. (10)
But they said it was no use trying to get into the Hygeia, and I stopped last night at the little hotel in Hampton. (9)
She feigned sleep herself; letting her head slip a little to one side, causing small sounds of breathing to escape. (8)
A little more, and she saw the white weir-piles shining, and the grey roller just beginning to glisten to the moon. (10)
Then the blade made another hissing sweep over Shagpat, leaving little of the wondrous growths on him save a topknot. (10)
He followed the figures of George and his companion with little fiery dark-brown eyes, in which devils seemed to dance. (8)
Her place of concealment was singularly well selected under the sofa-cover, and the little heaps of paper-bound volumes. (10)
Mr. Wagge recoiled a little, and for some seconds stood ruefully rubbing his hands together and looking from side to side. (8)
The only difference was that the trees were larger and often one saw pretty linden-alleys leading up to the little towns. (14)
In that little passage of wits she had won, she could win in many such; but the full hideousness of things had come to her. (8)
Olympus a little overlooked Parnassus, but Parnassus was broader and altogether better adapted for the games of the Muses. (10)
He was even so inconsequent, or so little recognized his position, as to object in his heart to hear himself called Wilson. (10)
So may we read, and little find them cold: Not frosty lamps illumining dead space, Not distant aliens, not senseless Powers. (10)
The idea of giving up to her his own neat little room behind the kitchen seemed like a revelation from St. Eoban, his patron. (5)
And that his fancy, too, was haunted by a ghost, high-shouldered, with little burning eyes, red hair, and white freckled face. (8)
Elizabeth hesitated, but her knees trembled under her and she felt how little would be gained by her attempting to pursue them. (4)
He talked of Harriet, and praised her so warmly, that she could not suppose any thing wanting which a little time would not add. (4)
She said they had rather thought of spending the winter in Europe, but had given it up because they were both a little homesick. (9)
The purple, delicate-veined crocuses, with little flames of orange blowing from their centres, seemed to hold the light as in cups. (8)
The Tortirrans themselves not being a sea-going people, all communication between them and the rest of their little world soon ceased. (7)
She had never seen a place for which nature had done more, or where natural beauty had been so little counteracted by an awkward taste. (4)
He put out his huge foot and pushed the ground-glass door shut between his little den and the book-keepers, in their larger den outside. (9)
Mrs. Pendyce did not sing, but her lips moved, and her eyes followed the millions of little dust atoms dancing in the long slanting sunbeam. (8)

Also see sentences for: diminutive, inconsiderable, minute, petty, precise, puny, slight.

Glad you visited this page with a sentence for little. Now that you’ve seen how to use little in a sentence hope you might explore the rest of this educational reference site Sentencefor.com to see many other example sentences which provide word usage information.

More Sentence Examples

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little a little few a few

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I have a little money left, so we can go shopping if you want.
I have little money left, so I don’t think I can go shopping.
I have a few dollars left, so we can go shopping if you want.
I have very few dollars left, so I don’t think I can go shopping.

The phrases A LITTLE, LITTLE, A FEW AND FEW seem to mean similar things at first, but as you can see from the example sentences above, you have to be careful about when to use each one.

They’re grammatically considered determiners in that they modify nouns similar to the way words like THE or A(N) do. Let’s break down how each of these four determiners differ below.

1. USE A LITTLE WITH UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS TO MEAN SOME

First off, what exactly is an uncountable noun? An uncountable noun is a specific type of noun in English that, simply, cannot be counted and does not have a plural form.

For example, take the noun rain. You can say that there is a lot of rain or that there is a little rain, but you can’t say that there are two rains or three rains. That’s what makes the noun rain uncountable.

You could say that there are two raindrops or three raindrops, but that’s a different noun entirely. Other uncountable nouns include words like water, bread, money, happiness, etc.

Let’s go back to our original sentence for a little:

I have a little money left, so we can go shopping if you want.

Here, we use the determiner a little instead of a few because MONEY is an uncountable noun. It wouldn’t sound right to say that you have a few money or a few moneys.

However, we should also be careful about what a little means exactly. It does mean a small amount, but not in a negative way. In other words, it does not emphasize smallness or a lack of something.

It’s simply a neutral way of saying that you have some of something. Not a lot, not too little. This is why if you say that you have a little money, you probably still have enough to do some spending.

Here are some more example sentences using the determiner a little.

I usually have a little time between classes to go grab a snack.
There’s still a little snow outside that hasn’t melted from the winter.
“Is there still juice in the fridge?” “There’s a little left if you want to have some.”

You can also use the phrase a little bit of, which means the same thing as a little.

I’ll have a little bit of pizza, but not too much.
My mom always puts a little bit of salt to her recipes. She says it makes the flavors stand out more.

List of Words Without Plural Form (Uncountable Nouns)
Countable and Uncountable Nouns Examples
Difference between British and American Uncountable Nouns
Some – Any – A – An

2. USE LITTLE WITH UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS TO MEAN NOT MUCH

The determiner little is also used with uncountable nouns. Its meaning, however, is different from the determiner a little. While a little is a neutral way of indicating a small amount of something, saying little emphasizes that the amount is lacking somehow – that it is not enough. It’s another way of saying, in other words, not much.

Back to one of our example sentences:

I have little money left, so I don’t think I can go shopping.

Here, the speaker is saying that they don’t have much money, which is very different from saying, “I have a little money left.” This small word, a, really makes the difference in meaning! And once again, the determiner little should only be used for uncountable nouns. You cannot say few money or few moneys without sounding strange.

Here are some more example sentences using the determiner little:

The workers had little incentive to reach the weekly quota.
I have little time to do anything for pleasure these days.
He used to live with relatively little stress, until he got married, that is.

It’s also common to pair up little with words like very, such, or so. For example:

The doctor says that the surgery will cause very little pain.
There was such little enthusiasm in the crowd that the comedian decided to stop his act early.
There was so little room in the car I could barely breathe.

3. USE A FEW WITH COUNTABLE NOUNS TO MEAN SOME

The determiner a few means essentially the same thing as a little, except it can only be used with countable nouns. We’ve already seen examples of uncountable nouns (e.g. rain, bread, money).

Countable nouns, meanwhile, are the conventional nouns that most people think of – they can be counted and come with plural forms, usually by adding the letter “s.”

Let’s look at one of the earlier examples:

I have a few dollars left, so we can go shopping if you want.

The reason we use a few here instead of a little is that dollars, unlike the word money, is a countable noun. So, whenever you’re dealing with nouns that have a plural form, make sure to use a few instead of a little. For example:

If you have any questions, I might be able to give you a few answers.
The man gave me a few looks before he decided to approach me. I quickly slipped into the bathroom.
I can think of a few embarrassing moments in my life off the top of my head, but I’m not going to tell you any.

There are many other determiners that mean about the same thing as a few. These include a couple, several and some. For example:

If you have any questions, I might be able to give you some answers.
The man gave me a couple looks before he decided to approach me.
I can think of several embarrassing moments in my life off the top of my head.

However, people often debate the exact number that each determiner denotes. For instance, some might say that a couple strictly means “two,” while others might consider it to mean “two or three.” Generally, several is considered to be more than “a few,” and the word “some” simply means a small amount.

A colloquial expression that you may sometimes here is quite a few, which, ironically, means a lot or a great amount. For example:

I saw my friend down quite a few beers before finally passing out for the night.
There were quite a few cars on the road today, making my commute a bit longer than usual.

4. USE FEW WITH COUNTABLE NOUNS TO MEAN NOT MANY

Remember the difference between “a little” and “little”? The same thing applies to “a few” and “few.” While “a few” is a neutral term to signify a small amount of something, the determiner few specifically means not many, such as in our previous example sentence:

I have very few dollars left, so I don’t think I can go shopping.

The word “very” was added before few to make the sentence more natural, but you can see that when the word “few” is used without the extra a, the connotation is that the amount is lacking.

The word few, unlike “little,” is not commonly used alone as a determiner. Thus, here are some examples using the phrases very few, such few, and so few, which sound more natural in spoken English.

I feel like men have such few options when it comes to fashion.
We have very few books on the subject of Zen Buddhism.
He made so few mistakes on his test that he was recruited to become a TA* for the next semester.

* TA is an abbreviation for teacher’s assistant.

5. LITTLE CAN BE USED TO MEAN SMALL

An obvious difference between “little” and “few” is that “little” can be used to describe size, and “few” cannot. This is probably the first meaning of “little” that you’ve learned. For example:

I went back to my room to see a little note from my mother left on my bed.
The streets were swamped with little children during the town parade.

6. A LITTLE AND LITTLE CAN ALSO BE ADVERBS

Both “a little” and “little” can also be used to modify verbs, which “a few” and “few” cannot do. For example, let’s look at these two sentences:

My family likes to talk a little about politics at dinner.
My family likes to talk little about politics at dinner.

In both sentences, “a little” and “little” become adverbs that modify the verb “to talk.” However, as we have seen previously, these adverbs mean different things. In the first sentence, the family enjoys talking here and there about politics.

But in the second sentence, the family does not like to talk much about politics. Once again, the word “little” without the “a” emphasizes a lack or insufficiency of something.

Meanwhile, the adverb “a little” can be used to modify adjectives, while the same does not apply to “little.” For example:

Last time I visited the east coast, it was a little chilly. (You cannot say “little chilly”)
The exhibition was a little interesting, but I would rather have not gone. (You cannot say “little interesting.”)

7. WHEN ELSE DOES A MAKE A DIFFERENCE?

While we have seen that the word “a” can make a big difference in meaning with both “little” and “few,” these seem to be unique cases. In most other cases, the word “a” simply acts as a normal indefinite article. For example:

My friend and I had a great time in Amsterdam!
My friend and I had great times in Amsterdam!

In the first sentence, we use the word “a,” while in the second one, we don’t. The reason for this, however, is the changing from singular to plural of the word “time.” It doesn’t have anything to do with the adjective “great.”

Meanwhile, phrases like a lot of or a bunch of do not make sense if you drop the “a.” You can say that you have “lot of cash” or “bunch of friends.” The exception to this is the phrase lots of, but as you can see, this is because the noun “lot” becomes plural, and the article “a” is no longer needed.

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Quick intro

Some, any, much, many, few and little are all words that come before nouns to help explain them. Some and any are both “determiners” – they tell us whether the noun phrase is general or specific. Some and any are both “general determiners”, which means they refer to an indefinite or unknown quantity of something.

Much, many, few and little are all “quantifiers”. Quantifiers are used to give information about quantity (the number of something). Both much and many suggest a large quantity of something, whilst little and few mean: not as much, or not as many. However, if you use a little or a few this means: a small amount!

But how do we know when to use each word? Broadly speaking, the rules for using these terms are based on whether the noun we are referring to is countable, uncountable, plural vs. singular OR whether they appear in positive or negative sentences or questions. Be careful because each set of words has its own particular rules and exceptions! Let’s take a closer look…

The words some and any are used when the exact number or amount of something is not known, or when it’s not important. Some and any are both used to refer to an indefinite quantity or number.

For example:

There are some birds in our garden.
(We don’t know exactly how many birds are in the garden or it doesn’t matter how many birds there are exactly)

As opposed to:

There are three birds in our garden.
(The number of birds is important and exact)

Some and any are known as “general determiners”. They are used to modify nouns, specifically to tell us that the noun phrase is general (rather than specific). They can be used with:

Countable or uncountable nouns:
We don’t have any time to get popcorn before the film starts.(Time is uncountable)
We still have some apples on the tree. (Apples are countable)
Singular or plural nouns:
We don’t have any chicken left for dinner. (Chicken is singular)
It’s such nice weather! Let’s invite some friends round for a BBQ. (Friends is plural)

When do I use someand when do I use any?

Although some and any are both used to describe an indefinite number, they are used in different ways. So how do we use them correctly?

In general, some is used in positive sentences (that don’t contain the word ‘not’):

I would love to try some of that food! It looks delicious!
I have bought some strawberries and cream to have for dessert.
Let’s invite some friends round and have a party tonight!
Some people think it’s better to eat healthily than to exercise a lot.

Looking at related words can help you to understand the difference in meaning between ‘some’ and ‘any’. Common words that include ‘some’ are: someone, something, somewhere and somebody. These are all used in positive sentences. In contrast, these popular words with ‘any’ are used in negative sentences and questions: anything, anywhere, anyone and anybody.

Any is used in negative sentences (that contain the word ‘not’):

We don’t have any space left in the car so we won’t be able to give you a lift.
I don’t need any help with my homework because I can do it on my own.
There isn’t any milk in the fridge so we’ll have to have black coffee.
I’m not hungry at the moment so I don’t want anything to eat.

And in questions:

Have you got any idea how long the film lasts?
Do you have any brothers or sisters?
It would be great to season these potatoes. Is there any salt and pepper?
Do you have any plans for the summer?

A common, informal way of asking a question in spoken English is to say: “any chance…”, rather than saying “Please could I…”. For example, “Any chance I could borrow a fiver?” means: “Could I borrow five pounds?”. Remember you would only use this with your friends, family or anyone else you know well! It is an informal expression.

Exceptions

There are some exceptions to these rules. We can use some in questions when offering something or making requests:

Would you like some milk and sugar in your tea?
Can I get you something to drink while you wait?
Shall we invite some friends round?
I left my wallet at home; can I borrow some money for lunch?

We use any in positive sentences when we mean “it doesn’t matter which…”:

There’s no seating plan so you can sit anywhere you like.
You can play any song by that band. I love them all!
Choose any pair of shoes you want. They’re all the same price.
I don’t mind which pair of shoes you buy me. I’ll take any of them!

Some	Any	Examples
Refer to an unknown number or quantity	Refer to an unknown number or quantity	There are some* birds in your garden*
Used with uncountable and countable nouns	Used with uncountable and countable nouns	We don’t have any* time to get popcorn before the film starts(time is uncountable) We still have some apples on the tree*(apples are countable)
Used with singular and plural nouns	Used with singular and plural nouns	We don’t have any* chicken left for dinner(chicken is singular) It’s such nice weather; let’s invite some friends round for a BBQ* (friends is plural)
Used in positive sentences		I would love to try some* of that food, it looks delicious!*
	Used in negative sentences	I don’t need any* help with my homework; I can do it on my own.*
	Used in questions	Do you have any* brothers or sisters?*
Used in questions that are offering/making requests		Can I get you something* to drink whilst you wait?*
	Used in positive sentences to mean “it doesn’t matter which”	There’s no seating plan, you can sit anywhere* you like.*

Much vs. many

Much and many are known as “quantifiers”. They are used to talk about quantities, amounts or degrees (along with ‘a lot of’ and ‘lots of’) and suggest a large quantity of something.

When do I use much and when do I use many?

Many is used with plural, countable nouns (e.g. dogs, dollars, tables, children). Much is used with singular, uncountable nouns (e.g. happiness, music, water, time):

There aren’t many doctors in the hospital today. (doctors are countable)
Many Brits choose to retire in Spain. (Brits/British people are countable)
There isn’t much light in this room so let’s open the curtains. (light is uncountable)
Too much money was spent on the Royal Wedding. (money is uncountable)

Remember equipment, luggage and information are all uncountable nouns and therefore will always use much. For example, ‘How much equipment does your studio have?’, ‘You have too much luggage to board the plane!’, ‘There isn’t much information on your CV. Please make it more detailed…’.

We usually use much and many with questions and negative statements:

How many apples do you want?
How much time does it take to get to your house from here?
I don’t think many people agree with her views on marriage.
There wasn’t much noise coming from the house, even though there was a party going on.

We sometimes us much and many in positive statements when:

They are used with so, asor too:

I think he has too many tattoos! I don’t like them.
Sarah has so much money at the moment; she must be earning a lot!
John makes as much money as Sarah.

Too is often used before much and many to mean: ‘more than was needed’. For example, ‘I bought too much fruit at the market. We’ll never eat it all before it goes off!’ and ‘There are too many people in the waiting room.’.
We use ‘so’ rather than ‘very’ before much and many in positive statements to emphasise a large quantity of something. So you would say: ‘We have so much work to do today!’ and not ‘We have very much work to do today!’.
‘As much as’ or ‘as many as’ are used to make a comparison and show that something is the same as or equal to something else. For example, ‘There are as many at this meeting as there were at the previous one.’.

They can be used in more formal written texts:

There has been much debate about the government’s new policy on education.
There were many articles about the effects of the virus on the local population.
There have been many allegations against him from members of his team.
We believe there is still much work to be done in the area of public health.

Generally, it is more common to use lots of/a lot ofin positive statements. This is more informal:

The shop had a sale on so I spent lots of money!
We have a lot of time so there’s no need to rush.
Anna has lots of friends so she’s always busy.
I think a lot of music sounds the same these days.

If much or many are used before articles (a/an, the), demonstratives (this, that), possessives (my, your) or pronouns (him, them), they are followed by ‘of’:

How much of this book have you read?
Not many of the students come from privileged backgrounds?
I couldn’t ride a bike for much of my childhood.
How many of them are under the age of 30?

In spoken English, certain words are often omitted or left out. For example, we say ‘this much’or ‘that much’and use a hand gesture to indicate the amount or size as in: ‘I’ll have this much cake.’(use fingers to show the amount).

It is also common to miss out the noun when it is obvious what is being discussed. For example, – ‘Could I have some apples, please?’ – ‘Sure! How many would you like?’ (no need to repeat the word ‘apples’).

Much	Many	Examples
	Used with plural, countable nouns	There aren’t many* doctors in the hospital today.* (doctors are countable) Too many* people drop litter in the street.* (people are countable)
Used with singular, uncountable nouns		There isn’t much* light in this room so let’s open the curtains.* (light is uncountable) Too much* money was spent on the Royal Wedding.* (money is uncountable)
Most commonly used with questions and negative statements	Most commonly used with questions and negative statements	How many* apples do you want?* How much* time does it take to get to your house form here?* I don’t think many* people agree with her views on marriage.* There wasn’t much* noise coming from the house, even though there was a party going on.*
Occasionally used with positive statements when: a) used with so, as or too b) more formal, written texts Lots of/a lot ofis more common	Occasionally used with positive statements when: a) used with so, as or too b) more formal, written texts Lots of/a lot ofis more common	He has too many* tattoos.* Sarah has so much* money at the moment; she must be earning a lot!* John earns as much* money as Sarah.* There have been many* allegations against him from members of his team.* We believe there is still much* work to be done in the area of public health.*
If used before articles, demonstratives, possessives or pronouns, it is followed by ‘of’	If used before articles, demonstratives, possessives or pronouns, it is followed by ‘of’	How much of* this book have you read?* Not many of* the students come from privileged backgrounds.* I couldn’t ride a bike for much of* my childhood.* How many of* them are under the age of 30?*

Few vs. little

Little and few are “quantifiers”. When theyare used on their own they have a negative meaning to suggest ‘not as much or not as many as might be expected’.

But be careful! When little and few are used with an article – a little or a few– both words mean ‘some’ and have a positive meaning.

When do I use fewand when do I use little?

Little is used with singular, uncountable nouns and few is used with plural, countable nouns to mean ‘not as much’ or ‘not as many’. For example:

The play made little sense to me, but I’m glad you enjoyed it. (sense is uncountable) = the play didn’t make much sense.
She didn’t want to go, but she had little choice. (choice is uncountable) = she didn’t have much choice.
There are few people that I think would be qualified for the job. (people is countable) = there aren’t many people qualified for the job.
There are few tourists at this time of year so the beaches are nice and quiet. (tourists is countable) = there aren’t many tourists.

A little is used with singular, uncountable nouns and a few is used with plural, countable nouns to mean ‘some’:

We have a little time before the play starts so why don’t we get a drink?
We have a little space in our car if you want a lift.
There are a few good candidates that have applied so I’m sure we’ll find someone for the job.
We stayed in Spain a few days before going on to France.

‘A little’ (more formal) is similar to ‘a bit’ (less formal). Both expressions mean the same thing and are common in spoken English. For example, ‘We have a bit of time before the play starts.’, ‘Can I have a little more cake, please?’, ‘We have a bit of beer left over from the party.’. You can also combine the two and say ‘a little bit’, as in: ‘I’m a little bit confused about…’.

As well as having negative meanings, few and little on their own are also quite formal and are generally not used very much in everyday spoken English. It is more common to instead use a negative sentence with ‘many’ or ‘much’. For example:

The play made little sense to me, but I’m glad you enjoyed it. = The play didn’t make much sense to me.
She didn’t want to go, but she had little choice. = She didn’t have much choice.
There are few people that I think would be qualified for the job. = There aren’t many people.
There are few tourists at this time of year so the beaches are nice and quiet. = There aren’t many tourists.

Compare these different meanings:

It’s snowing outside and I have few warm layers on so I’m really cold!
It’s snowing outside but I have a few warm layers on so I’m ok.

I have few friends in the city, so it can be quite lonely.
I have a few friends in the city, so I’m settling in well.

Few	A few	Little	A little	Examples
		Used with singular, uncountable nouns to mean ‘not as much’		The play made little* sense to me, but I’m glad you enjoyed it.*
Used with plural, countable nouns to mean ‘not as many’				There are few* tourists at this time of year so the beaches are nice and quiet.*
			Used with singular, uncountable nouns to mean ‘some’	We have a little* time before the play starts so why don’t we get a drink?*
	Used with plural, countable nouns to mean ‘some’			We stayed in Spain a few* days before going on to France.*

Exercises: Some / any, much / many, few / little

A. Fill in the gaps with either some or any:

There isn’t (_______) time to finish your lunch. We need to leave now!
We have _______ham sandwiches in the fridge if you’re hungry.
Shall we bake _______ cupcakes for the party?
Do you have _______ family in Italy?
I won’t need to do _______more revision after my exams.
There aren’t _______ shopping centres near my house.
Is there _______news on the royal couple’s wedding plans yet?
We finally have _______ news about the royal wedding!
Would you like _______ more soup, or are you full?
Pick _______ birthday card you like. I think they’re all nice.

B. Choose the correct word to complete the sentences below:

How much/many/many of the guests ordered lunch?
She has too much/many/much of ideas and can’t focus on one thing at a time!
We don’t have much of/much/many sunshine at this time of year.
How many/much/much of people live in your block of flats?
How many/much/much of the assignment have you completed so far?
How many/many of/much money will I need for 2 days in London?
There has been many/much/much of debate about the new regulations.
Too many/much/much of people are driving in London and the traffic is a nightmare.
There isn’t much of/many/much time before our flight so let’s go straight to the gate.
My son doesn’t have many/much/much of friends at school.

C. Fill in the gaps with either few, little, a few or a little:

There’s _______ chance of Mary coming to the wedding. She’s in Australia!
We have _______ options for our next holiday and they all look good.
_______ people visit Siberia in the winter because it’s too cold.
You have _______ time before the next class if you want to get a drink.
Let’s spend _______ days reviewing the proposal as I don’t want to rush it.
There’s _______ point in repeating yourself because she never listens!
I have very _______ colleagues that I would trust in a crisis.
_______ is known about the singer’s early life.
Your dessert was delicious! Can I have _______ more, please?
The staff training course takes _______ days to complete.

Check your answers!

A = any, some, some, any, any, any, any, some, some, any
B = many of, many, much, many, much of, much, much, many, much, many
C = little, a few, few, a little, a few, little, few, little, a little, a few

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Learning English by Skype

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IELTS Speaking Guide 2022 | Tasks, Model Answers, Scores

Want to score 7+ on your IELTS Speaking exam? We’ve written this guide for you! Read on to find out everything you need to know about the structure of the exam, possible topics, example answers, test tips and more. We will explain exactly what you need to do on parts 1, 2 and 3 so you can go into your Speaking exam with confidence. Ready? Let’s take a look! Continue reading →

Источник

1. Complete the rules with the headings below.

plural noun singular countable noun uncountable noun

1 every, each, either + ………………………………

2 all, most, some, much, little, a little, any, no + ………………………………

3 all, most, many, some, a few, few, no, both, any + ………………………………

Answer

1 singular countable noun 2 uncountable noun

3 plural noun

2. Circle the correct answers to complete the sentences.

1 I’ve only used …….. my pocket money.

a little b a little

c a few d a little of

2 …….. of the computers is broken.

a Each b Both

c Every one d Every

3 There isn’t …….. time before the film starts.

a many b few

c much d little

4 Nearly …….. this software is out of date.

a every b all of

c each of d every one of

5 …….. of the information is correct.

a No b None

c Any d Either

6 The computer is very heavy. Pick it up with …….. hands.

a each b all

c either d both

7 …….. teenagers use social networking sites.

a Much b Most

c Many of d Most of

8 Have you bought …….. apps recently?

a some b any

c no d few

9 Joe spends …….. his free time playing games online.

a most b most of

c much d the most

Answer

1 d 2 c 3 c 4 b 5 b 6 d 7 b 8 b 9 b

3. Some of the sentences are incorrect. Rewrite them correctly. Tick the correct sentences..

1 No of my classmates did their homework. ✗

None of my classmates did their homework.

2 Some of gadgets are difficult to use.

…………………………………

3 We had no times to lose.

…………………………………

4 Tom can write with every hand.

…………………………………

5 Not much games are easy to program.

…………………………………

6 There’s a mistake in each sentence.

…………………………………

7 Kate doesn’t like any these apps.

…………………………………

8 Jason spends few money on downloading music.

…………………………………

Answer

2 Some of the gadgets are difficult to use.

3 ✓

4 Tom can write with both hands.

5 Not many / all games are easy to program.

6 ✓

7 Kate doesn’t like any of these apps.

8 Jason spends little money on downloading music.

**4. Complete the sentences with few, a few, little, or a little.**

1 ……………………….. people went to see the film, so it was only on at the cinema for a couple of weeks.

2 I’m tired because I got very ……………………….. sleep last night.

3 I’ll only need ……………………….. more minutes to finish my homework.

4 ‘Is there any milk left?’ ‘Yes, ……………………….. .’

5 I posted that comment ……………………….. days ago.

6 I had ……………………….. subscribers to my video blog, so I removed it from YouTube.

7 Unfortunately they have ……………………….. money to spend on holidays.

Answer

1 Few 2 little 3 a few 4 a little 5 a few

6 few 7 little

5. Look at the bar chart. Write a sentence for each activity with the words below. Use the present perfect.

all almost all a few most none some very few

1 set up a new email account

2 play a computer game

3 download music

4 print a document from their phone

5 search within a specific website

6 install an app on their phone

7 update their profile on a social networking site

1 A few of the students have set up a new email account.

2 …………………………………………

3 …………………………………………

4 …………………………………………

5 …………………………………………

6 …………………………………………

7 …………………………………………

Answer

2 All of the students have played a computer game.

3 Almost all of the students have downloaded music.

4 None of the students have printed a document from their phone.

5 Very few of the students have searched within a specific website.

6 Most of the students have installed an app on their phone.

7 Some of the students have updated their profile on a social networking site.

6. Complete the dialogue with the words below.

all any every a few a little many most much

Dave Emma, how long have you had your phone?

Emma It’s quite new, actually. I’ve only had it for 1………………………….. months.

Dave How often do you use it?

Emma I use it 2………………………….. the time! 3………………………….. of the people I know send me text messages, and I text a lot too, especially when I need 4………………………….. help with my homework. By the end of the day, my phone has no battery left, so I have to recharge it 5………………………….. night.

Dave Who pays your phone bill?

Emma My parents do, but it isn’t a lot. I don’t really spend 6………………………….. money on my phone because I never make 7………………………….. calls. If I want to speak to my parents, I text them and they call me back. I don’t get 8………………………….. other calls really, except on my birthday.

Answer

1 a few 2 all 3 Most 4 a little 5 every

6 much 7 any 8 many

7. Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first Use the words in brackets.

1 There are no places left on the science trip. (all)

………………………………… on the science trip have been taken.

2 I don’t get many important emails. (few)

………………………………… are very important.

3 I’ve lost my two phone chargers. (either)

I can’t find …………………………………

4 Her contacts were all deleted when she clicked on the button. (every)

When she clicked on the button, she deleted …………………………………

5 The links on this website are all faulty. (none)

………………………………… on this website are working.

6 There are only a few apps on my phone that I use. (most)

I don’t use ………………………………… on my phone.

Answer

1 All the places 2 Few of my emails / Few of the emails I get

3 either of my phone chargers 4 every one of her contacts

5 None of the links 6 most of the apps

Источник

What is the difference between fewer and less? — everything is simple

Few, a few, little and a little in English are pronouns indicating quantity, in order to indicate a lack of something. These pronouns can stand in a sentence as defined to a noun, or independently of it, independently.

Depending on the form of use — whether the article is used or not — quantitative pronouns have different meanings. These differences include, as a rule, not only the semantic load, but also a certain assessment, which is found in the translation.

Rules of Use

For nouns that have both singular and plural, as well as when a noun / pronoun is only thought of, its presence becomes apparent from the context, the pronouns few / a few are used.

In this case, it does not matter at all how the noun forms its plural — for all these cases, the rule will act the same.

For example:

She went to the USA for a few months… — She went to America for several months.

Few of her friends had been in the USA… — Few of her friends were in America.

The pronouns little / a little are used in sentences with uncountable nouns. The rules for their use and their semantic meaning are absolutely the same as for the pronouns few / a few, and their translation into Russian is also no different.

Example:

She stood in the USA a little last year… — Last year she spent a little time in America.

When she first came to the USA, she little thought that she would stay there so long. — When she first arrived in America, she never thought that she would stay there for so long.

Pronoun meaning (word translation)

As we noted, the pronouns few, little, a few, and a little are used to indicate not enough of something. The difference between them appears only in the context of their use with nouns.

So, few / a few is used with countable nouns, and little / a little — with those that have only a singular, or only a plural.

However, there are still some differences in meanings, which depend on the form in which the pronoun is used, and create some difference in translation.

The pronouns few, little, used without the indefinite article, express the meaning of «little», «not enough» or «not at all.» If they stand with an article, then the meaning is interpreted as «little, but enough» or «a little».

Moreover, in the first case, the sentence will most likely contain a somewhat negative connotation, in the second — neutral:

I can’t help you. I speak very little English… — I cannot help you, I know very little English.

I can help you, I speak a little English… — I can help you, I speak a little English.

It would seem that in both cases the first part of the sentence implies the same thing — I do not speak English very well, my knowledge is hardly enough.

However, if in the first sentence the evaluative fact is negative, then in the second it bears a positive connotation, and this already implies the use of the pronoun little with the indefinite article a:

His English is intermediate, he forgets about his lessons. He has very little interest in languages… — His English is not above average, he forgets about his lessons. He has no interest in languages at all.
His English is intermediate, he coaches in it every weekends. He has a little interest in language. — His English is intermediate and he trains him every weekend. He has little interest in languages.
I didn’t read this book in original, I can say very little about it… — I have not read this book in the original, I can say very little about it.
I didn’t read this book in original, I can say a little about it… — I have not read this book in the original, but I can tell you a little about it.
Very few of his friends can speak English… — Almost none of his friends speak English.
A few of his friends can speak in English not bad at all. “Some of his friends don’t speak English bad at all.

Comparative and superlative

Like adjectives, quantitative pronouns in English can create degrees of comparison.

The pronouns few / a few form comparative and superlatives according to all the rules of the English language.

In the case of the pronouns little / a little, the situation is different:

few ⇒ fewer ⇒ the fewis — few ⇒ less ⇒ least
little ⇒ less ⇒ the least — little ⇒ less ⇒ least
a few / a little ⇒ more ⇒ the most — a little ⇒ more ⇒ most

Source: https://vseprostdo.ru/v-chem-raznica-mezhdu-fewer-i-less.html

What is the difference between fewer and less. use of the words much, many, few, little, a lot of and plenty of

Hey, folks! In this article, you will learn: when the English sentence uses «little» and when «few», what is the difference between «small» and «less», and when to use certain words with countable or uncountable nouns. Everything is accessible and understandable! Are you ready to be surprised? Let’s go then!

So, in English we use the word «few» when we mean extremely small the amount of something or the absence of something at all.

The word is translated as «very little«, I.e. «Not enough» at all. We use it, as a rule, when we are dealing with countable plural nouns, those objects and things that can be counted.

Few
Very little James’s family members leave Pittsburgh and move to New York every year.

In the above sentence, we used “few” to indicate that only two or three family members leave the city, most of the relatives remain in place.

However, if we used “a few«, Then the meaning would change:

A few members of James «family leave Pittsburgh and move to NY each year.
Some(a small number) of James’s family members leave Pittsburgh and move to New York every year.

Here we are talking about the fact that a small number of family members leave their hometown. Of course, there are still not many of them, but the emphasis here is on the fact that there are some nearest & dearest (close and dear relatives) who are moving, and not on the fact that their number is small.

An exception to the use of «a few» is the expression «quite a few«-«quite a bit of«,» A decent number «,» a lot. «

I have many besties, I have known quite a few of them since high school.
I have a lot of best friends quite a few I know of them since high school. So many mosquitoes in this house! The fewestof them are in the living room though.
There are so many mosquitoes in this house! Although in their living room least of all.Mia made fewergrammar mistakes last time.
Last time Mia did less grammatical errors.

little / a little

«Little» [«lɪtl] and» a little «follow the same pattern as» few «with» a few «. The difference is that we use «few» and «a few» with plural nouns, while «little» and «a little» with nouns, which cannot be counted by the piece:

Unfortunately, we have littletime to prepare before the exam.
Sorry, not preparing for the exam with us very little time. Unfortunately, we have a littletime to prepare before we have to go today.
Unfortunately, for preparation today we have slightly time before we have to leave.

In the first example, we say that we have a little time to prepare, but this time is still enough. In the second, we mean that there is time, but it is not enough to prepare thoroughly.

For a better understanding, you can compare these words with a glass of water.

If you need to focus on the fact that the glass is half full, then we say “littlewater ”(a little water, but enough in a glass).

If you want to emphasize that the glass is half empty, then “a little water ”(there is little water and not enough water in the glass).

homer does lesshomework than I used to.
Homer does less homework than I once did.The least environmentallyhostile generator costs a fortune.
Leastdangerousfor the environment the energy source is worth a fortune.

Small

The adjective «small» translates as «small»/«small»/«небольшой«And is used when this is aboutthe size of

Source: https://film05.ru/bathroom/v-chem-raznica-mezhdu-fewer-i-less-ispolzovanie-slov-much-many-few-little-a-lot-of-i-plenty.html

Countable and uncountable nouns — video tutorial

Let’s say you come to someone’s house, open the refrigerator, and there all the shelves are crammed with packs of butter from top to bottom. You will express surprise by exclaiming not Wow! That’s a lot of butters !, a

That’s a lot of butter! — How much oil is there

Finding hundreds of pencils in a desk drawer, you say no Wow! That’s a lot of pencil !, a

That’s a lot of pencils! — Wow, how many pencils!

Uncountable nouns

This is because oil is an uncountable noun in English, and a pencil is a countable noun. Uncountable means the whole class of a given substance — rain (rain), snow (snow), applause (applause), guilt (wine), liking (addiction). Most of the food is also incalculable: flour (flour), rice (rice).

They can be counted only in 3 cases:

— in the limitation of stick meters

a stick of butter — a pack of butter

— to distinguish between subspecies

3 butters — lime butter, pepper butter, chilly butter — 3 types of butter — lime, pepper, chili

— to mark packages in catering

Waiter, we need some more butters here — Waiter, more packs of butter here

Countable nouns

Countable nouns in English are subject-matter — they can always be counted, put in the plural, and numbered.

5 pencils — 5 pencils

2 cars — 2 cars

7 people — 7 people

3 children — 3 children

Quantitative nouns

There are quantitative nouns and pronouns that are combined with only 1 of 2 classes. So, an amount of requires an uncountable noun, and number of requires a countable noun.

a number of cows — several cows

Similarly, less is followed by an uncountable noun, and fewer is followed by a countable noun. However, less is also used with plural price tags — after all, we are not talking about a bill, but about the whole price.

less applause — less applause

less than 10 dollars — less than 10 dollars

In some illiterate supermarkets, you can see the inscription Less than 10 items express checkout. That’s right

Fewer than 10 items — Up to 10 purchases

Fun Facts

Dandelion root can be roasted and ground as a coffee substitute.

Source: https://www.lovelylanguage.ru/grammar/video-lessons/count-and-mass-nouns

13 mistakes in English that each of us makes

It is the pearl of all grammatical mistakes. And all because the words are similar in meaning and sound. But still there are nuances. To lie is translated as «to lie», «to be located», «to lie down».

I love to lie down in front of the fire and read — I like to lie near the fireplace with a book.

But lie is an irregular verb, in the past tense it turns into lay.

The town lay in ruins — The town lay in ruins.

And this form is written and pronounced in the same way as an independent verb to lay. The main meaning of which is «to put».

She laid the baby on the bed — She laid the baby on the bed.

In a word, the confusion, of course, is utter, but if you look deeply into it and remember it once, it will be much easier to avoid mistakes.

2. Continual and continuous

These words can be called paronyms: they are spelled almost the same, but differ in meaning. Continual applies to repeated actions or events.

I’m sorry, I can’t work with these continual interruptions — Sorry, but I can’t work like that, I’m constantly interrupted.

But continuous is about something that lasts continuously.

He spoke continuously for more than two hours — He spoke without stopping for more than two hours.

3. Envy and jealous

Even philologists cannot always explain the difference between these words clearly. Dictionaries say that jealous is primarily about jealousy.

In a moment of jealous frenzy, she cut the sleeves off all his shirts — In a fit of jealousy, she shredded the sleeves of his shirts.

But the word has a second meaning: «annoyance because someone has what you yourself would like.» In other words, envy. It is how “envy” translates the second word, envy.

He had always been very jealous of his brother’s success — He was always very jealous of his brother’s success.
Some of his colleagues envy the enormous wealth that he has amassed — Some of his colleagues envy his enormous wealth.

So what’s the difference? Linguists admit that if we are talking about envy, and not about jealousy, the differences have practically disappeared and the two words can be considered synonymous. Although earlier jealous meant a more serious, terrible and dramatic degree of envy.

4. Fewer and less

Less is used when we are talking about something abstract and uncountable, or when we don’t mention the exact amount.

I eat less chocolate and fewer biscuits than I used to — I eat less chocolate and fewer biscuits than usual.
We must try to spend less money — We must try to spend less money.

Few and fewer can be safely used when talking about specific numbers or something that can be accurately calculated.

Fewer than 3,500 tigers are left in the wild today — No more than three and a half thousand tigers live in the wild today.
We received far fewer complaints than expected — We received far fewer complaints than expected.

5. Disinterested and uninterested

It seems that both prefixes — dis- and un- — denote negation. And if so, then the meaning of the words is the same. But no. Disinterested translates to impartial.

A disinterested observer / judgment

If we are talking about disinterest and indifference, it would be more correct to use the option uninterested.

He’s completely uninterested in sports — He’s completely uninterested in sports.

True, not all linguists are united on this issue. The compilers of the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, for example, believe that these words can be synonymous.

6. Anxious and excited

In Russian, the word “worry” can be used not only in the negative (“I’m terribly worried about you!”), But also in a positive way (“I was so excited when I received your letter!”). Perhaps that is why when we speak English, in similar cases we try to use anxious. But this word translates as «alarmed, worried, nervous.»

It’s natural that you should feel anxious when you first leave home — It’s natural to be anxious when you first leave home.

If you are happy to see friends, telling them that you are anxious to see them would be wrong. Excited is more appropriate here. By the way, the word anxious is also appropriate if we are impatient to do something or we are striving for something.

I’m anxious to get home to open my presents — I can’t wait to come home as soon as possible and open the presents.

7. Affect and effect

To deal with this dilemma, a simple hint can be used. Affect is almost always a verb, effect is a noun. Affect can be translated as «influence, cause, lead to something.»

Factors that affect sleep include stress and many medical conditions — Causes that affect sleep include stress and various medical conditions.

Effect is, in fact, the effect or the result of some processes or events.

I’m suffering from the effects of too little sleep — I suffer from the effects of lack of sleep.

8. Among and between

Words are similar in meaning, but still not synonymous. Between translates as «between».

A narrow path runs between the two houses — A narrow path runs between the two houses.
The shop is closed for lunch between 12.30 and 1.30 — The shop is closed for lunch from half past twelve to half past one.

Among rather means «among», «one of».

The decision will not be popular among students — This decision will not be popular among students.
She divided the cake among the children — She divided the cake between the children.

If we are talking about specific people or objects, it is more appropriate to speak between, and if it is about indefinite or generalized — among.

9. Assure and ensure

It is clear that in both cases we are talking about faith, trust or assurances. But since the words sound and spelled almost the same, it’s easy to get confused. And here it is important to remember that assure is used when we want to assure or convince someone of something.

She assured them, that she would be all right — She assured them that everything would be fine with her.

But ensure is appropriate to use when we ourselves want to make sure of something.

Please ensure that all examination papers have your name at the top — Please ensure that your examination papers are signed.

10. Then and than

It is easy to confuse these words, but it is better not to do this, because then the sentence will lose its meaning. Just one letter — and what a difference in meaning! Then is an adverb that translates as «then» and «then».

She trained as a teacher and then became a lawyer — She studied to be a teacher, but then became a lawyer.

Than is a preposition, it is used for comparison.

It cost less than I expected — It cost less than I thought.

11. Lose and loose

Here, too, almost the same spelling and pronunciation are to blame for everything. The word «loser» is well known even to those who are not very good at English. Therefore, it seems that both lose and loose are about failures and losses. But it is important to remember that lose means “to lose”, “to lose”, “to lose”.

I hope he doesn’t lose his job — I hope he doesn’t lose his job.

And loose translates as «relaxed», «free», «loose».

A loose dress / sweater — loose dress / sweater.

12. A lot and the lot

Here, in general, the difference is only in the article. But in English, even he can significantly change the meaning of a word. The noun lot together with the indefinite article a translates as «a lot», «a large number».

I’ve got a lot to do this morning — I have a lot to do this morning.

At the same time, the lot is a British colloquial element, which means not just «a lot», but «everything.»

I made enough curry for three people and he ate the lot — I cooked curry for three, and he ate it all alone.

13. Amount and number

Here the story is similar to fewer and less. Both words refer to quantity, but amount is used when we are talking about something indefinite and uncountable, and number is used when we are talking about objects or people that can be counted.

The project will take a huge amount of time and money — This project will take a huge amount of time and money.
A small number of children are educated at home — A small number of children study at home.

UPD. Updated on October 25, 2019.

13 Difficulties in English and How to Avoid Them

We learn English first at school, then at university, but the years go by — and we still make mistakes even in simple cases that do not apply to exceptions. We have prepared examples of common difficulties and rules for them. Having carefully studied and carefully understood the rules of spelling and pronunciation once, you will no longer make funny mistakes, and the level of English proficiency will be higher than that of some native speakers!

Incorrect use of apostrophes

What is the difference between fewer and less. example sentences ca little. use of few, a few, little, a little

Today we will look at the words with which we speak about a small amount of something or someone: few, little и a few, a little… In English, sometimes one small detail can completely change the meaning of what is said. Let’s find out how adding a before words few и little changes their meaning.

Use few

Using less and fewer. Use of the words much, many, few, little, a lot of and plenty of

In this article, we will analyze when and how to use pronouns. few, a few, little, a little, a lot of, some, anycalled with a beautiful word — quantifiers (quantifiers). Often they have the same meaning, but their use in English depends on which object they describe — that is, with which noun — countable or uncountable they are used.

Scheme of using quantifiers:

The use of much, many, few, little, a lot of, plenty

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Have you noticed how often we use the words «a lot», «a little», «a few» in our speech and how we do not like to give exact numbers? Secretive by nature, the English also use these words very often in speech.

When we say «a lot» in English, we use the words many, much, a lot of, plenty of, and when we say «little» — few, a few, little, a little. These words are called determiners, they indicate an indefinite amount of something.

This article will show you when and where to use much, many, few, little, a lot of, plenty of in English.

The noun plays a key role in the choice of the defining word. The determiner depends on which noun is in front of us, countable (countable) or uncountable (uncountable). Once again, we recall that we can count countable nouns and they have a plural form (a boy — boys). And uncountable nouns do not have a plural form (water — some water), and we cannot count them.

We have divided all words into three groups depending on which noun they are used with. We will consider each group separately.

Much / Little Many / Few A lot of / Plenty of

Uncountable nouns	Countable nouns	Countable and uncountable nouns
How much money have you got? — How much money do you have? — There is little ink left in my pen.	I have many friends. — He has got few friends. — He has few friends.	There is a lot of sugar there. — There are plenty of plants in the garden. — There are many plants in the garden.

Many, few, a few with countable nouns

Less / Fewer

«Less» and «fewer»Both words indicate quantitative indicators. «Less«- the comparative form of the word»little«, but «fewer«Is the comparative form»few».

Little [ˈLɪtəl] — a little, a little.
Few [fju] — a little, a little.

we have less milk than I’d hoped. — We have less milk than I had hoped.
There are fewer people than I expected. — Of people lessthan I expected.

Less

Difference in the use of less and fewer in English

Why is it so easy to get confused when using «less» and «fewer» — two pointers to many English languages?

This is because these words are translated the same way — «less», but they are used when discussing quantities of different types. In one case, the conversation is about objects that can be counted, in the other about things that require weighing.

An error in the use of both words, albeit noticeable, is not at all critical. If you are not a pedant, then perhaps you will not attach much importance to this lesson; for everyone else, it’s time to figure out how and what we consider as a smaller value.

Difference between less and fewer in English

«Little» in English

How do you say «little» in English? Find out in this article!

Hello, friends! What lovely weather outside today, right? I don’t know about you, but I love warm spring and summer! This is definitely the best time of the year! So, put off all your business for the weekend and go outside to enjoy this sunny and wonderful day!

Source: https://enjoyenglish-blog.com/razgovornyj-anglijskij/malo-na-anglijskom.html

13 mistakes in English that each of us makes — News All Kharkiv

It doesn’t matter what level you have. Even native speakers are sometimes confused in these words.

1. Lay and lie

What is the difference between fewer and less? — everything is simple

Rules of Use

What is the difference between fewer and less. use of the words much, many, few, little, a lot of and plenty of

So, in English we use the word «few» when we mean extremely small the amount of something or the absence of something at all.

The word is translated as «very little«, I.e. «Not enough» at all. We use it, as a rule, when we are dealing with countable plural nouns, those objects and things that can be counted.

Few
Very little James’s family members leave Pittsburgh and move to New York every year.

In the above sentence, we used “few” to indicate that only two or three family members leave the city, most of the relatives remain in place.

However, if we used “a few«, Then the meaning would change:

A few members of James «family leave Pittsburgh and move to NY each year.
Some(a small number) of James’s family members leave Pittsburgh and move to New York every year.

An exception to the use of «a few» is the expression «quite a few«-«quite a bit of«,» A decent number «,» a lot. «

little / a little

Countable and uncountable nouns — video tutorial

That’s a lot of butter! — How much oil is there

Finding hundreds of pencils in a desk drawer, you say no Wow! That’s a lot of pencil !, a

That’s a lot of pencils! — Wow, how many pencils!

Uncountable nouns

13 mistakes in English that each of us makes

I love to lie down in front of the fire and read — I like to lie near the fireplace with a book.

But lie is an irregular verb, in the past tense it turns into lay.

The town lay in ruins — The town lay in ruins.

And this form is written and pronounced in the same way as an independent verb to lay. The main meaning of which is «to put».

She laid the baby on the bed — She laid the baby on the bed.

In a word, the confusion, of course, is utter, but if you look deeply into it and remember it once, it will be much easier to avoid mistakes.

2. Continual and continuous

13 Difficulties in English and How to Avoid Them

Incorrect use of apostrophes

Using apostrophes is not that difficult. Today, mistakes associated with the use of apostrophes are one of the most common in the English language. The apostrophe is used to indicate that something belongs to someone or something. To indicate that an object belongs to one person, the apostrophe must be placed before the ending «-s».

Example: «The girl’s horse» — the horse belongs to the girl.

To indicate that an object belongs to several persons, the apostrophe must be placed after the end of «-s».

Example: «The girls’ horse» — the horse belongs to girls.

Your or you’re

What is the difference between fewer and less. example sentences ca little. use of few, a few, little, a little

Use few

Pronunciation and translation:
Few / [fyu] — little

Meaning of the word:
Small amount

Few is used with (people, chairs, flowers, apples).

This word is used to emphasize a small amount of something or someone. That is, we say that we have not enough of something or someonefor a specific business.

Few has a negative meaning, we say that something is not enough and we regret it. For example, she had littleacquaintances in this city, that is, she lacked communication and was lonely.

This country has few natural resources.
This country has little natural resources.

Few politicians admit their mistakes.
Little politicians admit their mistakes.

Little

Using less and fewer. Use of the words much, many, few, little, a lot of and plenty of

Scheme of using quantifiers:

The details will help you master the audio lessons from the LingQ foreign language learning system, which is described in the article. For convenience, Russian translations are provided after each English text.

1. Little — few quantifiers

The use of much, many, few, little, a lot of, plenty

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This article will show you when and where to use much, many, few, little, a lot of, plenty of in English.

The noun plays a key role in the choice of the defining word. The determiner depends on which noun is in front of us, countable (countable) or uncountable (uncountable). Once again, we recall that we can count countable nouns and they have a plural form (a boy — boys). And uncountable nouns do not have a plural form (water — some water), and we cannot count them.

We have divided all words into three groups depending on which noun they are used with. We will consider each group separately.

Much / Little Many / Few A lot of / Plenty of

Uncountable nouns	Countable nouns	Countable and uncountable nouns
How much money have you got? — How much money do you have? — There is little ink left in my pen.	I have many friends. — He has got few friends. — He has few friends.	There is a lot of sugar there. — There are plenty of plants in the garden. — There are many plants in the garden.

Many, few, a few with countable nouns

The words many (many), few (few), a few (several) are used with countable nouns. Many denotes a large number of something: many apples (many apples), many friends (many friends), many ideas (many ideas).

The opposite of many is few: few apples, few friends, few ideas. Few often have a negative meaning: very little, not enough, so little that practically none.

A few has an intermediate meaning between many and few, translated as «a few»: a few apples (a few apples), a few friends (a few friends), a few ideas (a few ideas).

— Do you have many friends in this part of the city? — At your place lot friends in this part of town?
— No, I don’t. I have few friends in this part of the city. — I do not have little friends in this part of town. (that is, not enough, I would like more)
— I have a few friends in the city center. — I have some friends in the city center.

Much, little, a little with uncountable nouns

Less / Fewer

«Less» and «fewer»Both words indicate quantitative indicators. «Less«- the comparative form of the word»little«, but «fewer«Is the comparative form»few».

Little [ˈLɪtəl] — a little, a little.
Few [fju] — a little, a little.

we have less milk than I’d hoped. — We have less milk than I had hoped.
There are fewer people than I expected. — Of people lessthan I expected.

Less

We use «less«With uncountable nouns such as: Pollution (pollution), traffic (traffic), News (news), freedom (freedom).

there is less traffic and less pollution. — There less traffic and less pollution.
We’ve been receiving a lot less news since we switched TV providers. — We get much less news since we changed TV providers.
In more conservative societies, women have less freedom than they do here. — In more conservative societies, women have less freedom than here.

fewer

Difference in the use of less and fewer in English

Why is it so easy to get confused when using «less» and «fewer» — two pointers to many English languages?

Difference between less and fewer in English

fewer

«Little» in English

How do you say «little» in English? Find out in this article!

Source: https://enjoyenglish-blog.com/razgovornyj-anglijskij/malo-na-anglijskom.html

13 mistakes in English that each of us makes — News All Kharkiv

It doesn’t matter what level you have. Even native speakers are sometimes confused in these words.

1. Lay and lie

13 mistakes in English that each of us makes — News All Kharkiv

It doesn’t matter what level you have. Even native speakers are sometimes confused in these words.

1. Lay and lie

I love to lie down in front of the fire and read — I like to lie near the fireplace with a book.

But lie is an irregular verb, in the past tense it turns into lay.

The town lay in ruins — The town lay in ruins.

And this form is written and pronounced in the same way as an independent verb to lay. The main meaning of which is “to put”.

She laid the baby on the bed — She laid the baby on the bed.

In a word, the confusion, of course, is utter, but if you look deeply into it and remember it once, it will be much easier to avoid mistakes.

2. Continual and continuous

What is the difference between fewer and less? — everything is simple

Rules of Use

For nouns that have both singular and plural, as well as when a noun / pronoun is only thought of, its presence becomes apparent from the context, the pronouns few / a few are used.

In this case, it does not matter at all how the noun forms its plural — for all these cases, the rule will act the same.

For example:

She went to the USA for a few months… — She went to America for several months.

Few of her friends had been in the USA… — Few of her friends were in America.

Example:

She stood in the USA a little last year… — Last year she spent a little time in America.

When she first came to the USA, she little thought that she would stay there so long. — When she first arrived in America, she never thought that she would stay there for so long.

Pronoun meaning (word translation)

As we noted, the pronouns few, little, a few, and a little are used to indicate not enough of something. The difference between them appears only in the context of their use with nouns.

So, few / a few is used with countable nouns, and little / a little — with those that have only a singular, or only a plural.

However, there are still some differences in meanings, which depend on the form in which the pronoun is used, and create some difference in translation.

Moreover, in the first case, the sentence will most likely contain a somewhat negative connotation, in the second — neutral:

I can’t help you. I speak very little English… — I cannot help you, I know very little English.

I can help you, I speak a little English… — I can help you, I speak a little English.

It would seem that in both cases the first part of the sentence implies the same thing — I do not speak English very well, my knowledge is hardly enough.

His English is intermediate, he forgets about his lessons. He has very little interest in languages… — His English is not above average, he forgets about his lessons. He has no interest in languages at all.
His English is intermediate, he coaches in it every weekends. He has a little interest in language. — His English is intermediate and he trains him every weekend. He has little interest in languages.
I didn’t read this book in original, I can say very little about it… — I have not read this book in the original, I can say very little about it.
I didn’t read this book in original, I can say a little about it… — I have not read this book in the original, but I can tell you a little about it.
Very few of his friends can speak English… — Almost none of his friends speak English.
A few of his friends can speak in English not bad at all. “Some of his friends don’t speak English bad at all.

Comparative and superlative

Like adjectives, quantitative pronouns in English can create degrees of comparison.

The pronouns few / a few form comparative and superlatives according to all the rules of the English language.

In the case of the pronouns little / a little, the situation is different:

few ⇒ fewer ⇒ the fewis — few ⇒ less ⇒ least
little ⇒ less ⇒ the least — little ⇒ less ⇒ least
a few / a little ⇒ more ⇒ the most — a little ⇒ more ⇒ most

Source: https://vseprostdo.ru/v-chem-raznica-mezhdu-fewer-i-less.html

What is the difference between fewer and less. use of the words much, many, few, little, a lot of and plenty of

So, in English we use the word «few» when we mean extremely small the amount of something or the absence of something at all.

The word is translated as «very little«, I.e. «Not enough» at all. We use it, as a rule, when we are dealing with countable plural nouns, those objects and things that can be counted.

Few
Very little James’s family members leave Pittsburgh and move to New York every year.

In the above sentence, we used “few” to indicate that only two or three family members leave the city, most of the relatives remain in place.

However, if we used “a few«, Then the meaning would change:

A few members of James «family leave Pittsburgh and move to NY each year.
Some(a small number) of James’s family members leave Pittsburgh and move to New York every year.

An exception to the use of «a few» is the expression «quite a few«-«quite a bit of«,» A decent number «,» a lot. «

little / a little

In the first example, we say that we have a little time to prepare, but this time is still enough. In the second, we mean that there is time, but it is not enough to prepare thoroughly.

For a better understanding, you can compare these words with a glass of water.

If you need to focus on the fact that the glass is half full, then we say “littlewater ”(a little water, but enough in a glass).

If you want to emphasize that the glass is half empty, then “a little water ”(there is little water and not enough water in the glass).

Small

The adjective «small» translates as «small»/«small»/«небольшой«And is used when this is aboutthe size of

Source: https://film05.ru/bathroom/v-chem-raznica-mezhdu-fewer-i-less-ispolzovanie-slov-much-many-few-little-a-lot-of-i-plenty.html

Countable and uncountable nouns — video tutorial

That’s a lot of butter! — How much oil is there

Finding hundreds of pencils in a desk drawer, you say no Wow! That’s a lot of pencil !, a

That’s a lot of pencils! — Wow, how many pencils!

Uncountable nouns

They can be counted only in 3 cases:

— in the limitation of stick meters

a stick of butter — a pack of butter

— to distinguish between subspecies

3 butters — lime butter, pepper butter, chilly butter — 3 types of butter — lime, pepper, chili

— to mark packages in catering

Waiter, we need some more butters here — Waiter, more packs of butter here

Countable nouns

Countable nouns in English are subject-matter — they can always be counted, put in the plural, and numbered.

5 pencils — 5 pencils

2 cars — 2 cars

7 people — 7 people

3 children — 3 children

Quantitative nouns

There are quantitative nouns and pronouns that are combined with only 1 of 2 classes. So, an amount of requires an uncountable noun, and number of requires a countable noun.

a number of cows — several cows

less applause — less applause

less than 10 dollars — less than 10 dollars

In some illiterate supermarkets, you can see the inscription Less than 10 items express checkout. That’s right

Fewer than 10 items — Up to 10 purchases

Fun Facts

Dandelion root can be roasted and ground as a coffee substitute.

Source: https://www.lovelylanguage.ru/grammar/video-lessons/count-and-mass-nouns

13 mistakes in English that each of us makes

I love to lie down in front of the fire and read — I like to lie near the fireplace with a book.

But lie is an irregular verb, in the past tense it turns into lay.

The town lay in ruins — The town lay in ruins.

And this form is written and pronounced in the same way as an independent verb to lay. The main meaning of which is «to put».

She laid the baby on the bed — She laid the baby on the bed.

In a word, the confusion, of course, is utter, but if you look deeply into it and remember it once, it will be much easier to avoid mistakes.

2. Continual and continuous

These words can be called paronyms: they are spelled almost the same, but differ in meaning. Continual applies to repeated actions or events.

I’m sorry, I can’t work with these continual interruptions — Sorry, but I can’t work like that, I’m constantly interrupted.

But continuous is about something that lasts continuously.

He spoke continuously for more than two hours — He spoke without stopping for more than two hours.

3. Envy and jealous

Even philologists cannot always explain the difference between these words clearly. Dictionaries say that jealous is primarily about jealousy.

In a moment of jealous frenzy, she cut the sleeves off all his shirts — In a fit of jealousy, she shredded the sleeves of his shirts.

But the word has a second meaning: «annoyance because someone has what you yourself would like.» In other words, envy. It is how “envy” translates the second word, envy.

He had always been very jealous of his brother’s success — He was always very jealous of his brother’s success.
Some of his colleagues envy the enormous wealth that he has amassed — Some of his colleagues envy his enormous wealth.

4. Fewer and less

Less is used when we are talking about something abstract and uncountable, or when we don’t mention the exact amount.

I eat less chocolate and fewer biscuits than I used to — I eat less chocolate and fewer biscuits than usual.
We must try to spend less money — We must try to spend less money.

Few and fewer can be safely used when talking about specific numbers or something that can be accurately calculated.

Fewer than 3,500 tigers are left in the wild today — No more than three and a half thousand tigers live in the wild today.
We received far fewer complaints than expected — We received far fewer complaints than expected.

5. Disinterested and uninterested

It seems that both prefixes — dis- and un- — denote negation. And if so, then the meaning of the words is the same. But no. Disinterested translates to impartial.

A disinterested observer / judgment

If we are talking about disinterest and indifference, it would be more correct to use the option uninterested.

He’s completely uninterested in sports — He’s completely uninterested in sports.

True, not all linguists are united on this issue. The compilers of the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, for example, believe that these words can be synonymous.

6. Anxious and excited

It’s natural that you should feel anxious when you first leave home — It’s natural to be anxious when you first leave home.

I’m anxious to get home to open my presents — I can’t wait to come home as soon as possible and open the presents.

7. Affect and effect

To deal with this dilemma, a simple hint can be used. Affect is almost always a verb, effect is a noun. Affect can be translated as «influence, cause, lead to something.»

Factors that affect sleep include stress and many medical conditions — Causes that affect sleep include stress and various medical conditions.

Effect is, in fact, the effect or the result of some processes or events.

I’m suffering from the effects of too little sleep — I suffer from the effects of lack of sleep.

8. Among and between

Words are similar in meaning, but still not synonymous. Between translates as «between».

A narrow path runs between the two houses — A narrow path runs between the two houses.
The shop is closed for lunch between 12.30 and 1.30 — The shop is closed for lunch from half past twelve to half past one.

Among rather means «among», «one of».

The decision will not be popular among students — This decision will not be popular among students.
She divided the cake among the children — She divided the cake between the children.

If we are talking about specific people or objects, it is more appropriate to speak between, and if it is about indefinite or generalized — among.

9. Assure and ensure

She assured them, that she would be all right — She assured them that everything would be fine with her.

But ensure is appropriate to use when we ourselves want to make sure of something.

Please ensure that all examination papers have your name at the top — Please ensure that your examination papers are signed.

10. Then and than

She trained as a teacher and then became a lawyer — She studied to be a teacher, but then became a lawyer.

Than is a preposition, it is used for comparison.

It cost less than I expected — It cost less than I thought.

11. Lose and loose

I hope he doesn’t lose his job — I hope he doesn’t lose his job.

And loose translates as «relaxed», «free», «loose».

A loose dress / sweater — loose dress / sweater.

12. A lot and the lot

I’ve got a lot to do this morning — I have a lot to do this morning.

At the same time, the lot is a British colloquial element, which means not just «a lot», but «everything.»

I made enough curry for three people and he ate the lot — I cooked curry for three, and he ate it all alone.

13. Amount and number

The project will take a huge amount of time and money — This project will take a huge amount of time and money.
A small number of children are educated at home — A small number of children study at home.

UPD. Updated on October 25, 2019.

Source: `https://lifehacker.ru/20-oshibok-v-anglijskom-yazyke-kotorye-delaet-kazhdyj-iz-nas/`

13 Difficulties in English and How to Avoid Them

Incorrect use of apostrophes

Example: «The girl’s horse» — the horse belongs to the girl.

To indicate that an object belongs to several persons, the apostrophe must be placed after the end of «-s».

Example: «The girls’ horse» — the horse belongs to girls.

Your or you’re

“Your” is used when an object belongs to you.

Example: «Today is your lucky day» — Today is your lucky day.

“You’re” is used only as a shorthand for “you are”: pronoun “you” + verb “are”.

Example: “You’re beautiful” — You are beautiful.

There, their and they’re

And again these words, which sound almost the same. The word “there” is used to contrast “here”. “There” can also be used at the beginning of statements: There are no cakes left — There are no cakes left.

“Their” indicates that the object belongs to others.

Example: «Can we use their boat?» — Can we use their boat?

“They’re” is a shorthand for “they are”: the pronoun “they” + the verb “are”.

Example: «They’re going to be here soon» — They will be here soon.

Fewer or less

Even native speakers do not always understand the difference between “fewer” and “less”, mistakes are found even in advertisements of some supermarkets in English-speaking countries. Cases where people use “less” to mean “fewer” are very common.

“Fewer” is used with countable nouns, that is, words that can be counted: cake, piece, grains of sand.

Example: «Fewer grains of sand» — Fewer grains of sand.

“Less” is used with uncountable nouns, that is, those that cannot be counted: coffee, water, sand.

Example: «Less sand» — less sand.

Amount or number

The same rule applies here as in the previous example. “Number” is used with countable nouns: birds, tables, chairs.

Example: «A greater number of people» — More and more people.

“Amount” is used with uncountable nouns: water, sugar, sand.

Example: «A larger amount of water» — More water.

To, two and too

The words sound identical, which is confusing for English learners. By ear, you can distinguish them by understanding other words from the context and the general meaning of the statements.

“To” is the particle that is used to form the initial form of the verb: “to talk” — to speak. “To” is also used to mean “towards something”.

Example: «I’m going to town» — I’m going to town.

“Too” means “too”, “also”, “too”.

Example: «I’m too hot» — I’m too hot.

“Two” means “two”.

Example: «He bought two cakes» — He bought two cakes.

Then or than

“Then” and “than” are often confused not only because they sound similar, but also because they are written almost the same.

“Than” is used when we want to compare two objects.

Example: This dress is more beautiful than that one — This dress is more beautiful than that.

“Then” is used to indicate an event that will follow another, such as when making a plan or schedule.

Example: We’ll go to the cinema and then to the cafe — We will go to the cinema and then to the cafe.

Me, myself, I

Here’s an easy way to remember the difference between “me”, “myself” and “I”. When you talk about yourself and another person in the same sentence, their name should appear at the beginning of the sentence.

To check which pronoun you need at the moment, “me” or “I”, remove the name of the person you are talking about and see which pronoun sounds more correct.

In the sentence “John and I are off to the circus” — “John and I are going to the circus” you are not only talking about yourself, so it is better to use the pronoun “I”.

«Me» can only be used when you talk about yourself as an object, that is, when an action is directed at you. Also, «me» is placed after the preposition, that is, you cannot say «with I», we say «with me».

Use the pronoun “myself” if you have already used the pronoun “I” or if you want to emphasize that you are doing an action on your own or in relation to only yourself.

Who or whom

Another tricky moment for people learning English.

“Who” refers to the one who performs the action.

Example: “Who did this? He did ”- Who did it? — He did it.

Whereas “whom” is used to refer to the object to which the action is directed.

Example: “Whom should I invite? Invite him ”. Who should I invite? — Invite him.

Who and that

Often, English learners use “that” instead of “who” or “whom,” which is incorrect. You cannot use “that” when you are talking about a person.

Example: “He was the only person who wanted to come” — He was the only one who wanted to come.

Affect or effect

The words are easy to get confused because they sound and spelled almost the same. But there is a simple rule to help you remember the difference between the two.

“Affect” is a verb meaning “to influence, to influence something”. You can draw a parallel with the expression in Russian «state of passion»: he committed a crime in a state of passion, that is, under the influence of some sudden process.

Example: “They were directly affected by the flooding” — The flood directly affected them.

“Effect” is a noun meaning the result or effect of the influence exerted. You can also draw a parallel with the use of a word in Russian, for example, «negative effect of the statement», that is, there was some statement that subsequently caused a negative effect.

Example: “He waited for the medicine to have an effect” — He expected the drug to be effective.

Ie or Eg

English learners often do not know the decoding of these abbreviations, so they use them incorrectly when writing.

Ie means “that is” or “in other words”, comes from the Latin expression “id est”.

Example: «He objects to the changes — ie he won’t be accepting them» — He objects to the changes, that is, he won’t accept them.

Eg means “for example,” comes from the Latin expression “exempli gratia”.

Example: “He d many different cheeses, eg cheddar, camembert and brie” — He liked many different cheeses, eg cheddar, camembert and brie.

Use these abbreviations only in informal correspondence. In official documents, it is better to write their values in expanded form: “for example” and “that is”.

Its or it’s

We wrote above that apostrophes are used to indicate that something belongs to someone or something, but there is an exception to the rule — the pronoun “it”.

“It’s” is used only as a shorthand for “it is” or “it has”. Example: “It’s snowing outside” — It is snowing outside.

“Its” denotes the belonging of an object to an inanimate object, animal or plant. As with “his” and “hers,” there is no apostrophe here.

Example: «The sofa looks great with its new cover» — The sofa looks great with its new cover.

We hope that this article has explained some of the difficulties of the English language and will serve you as an assistant in learning it!

Source: https://blog.teachmeplease.ru/posts/13-trudnostey-angliyskogo-yazyka

What is the difference between fewer and less. example sentences ca little. use of few, a few, little, a little

Use few

Pronunciation and translation:
Few / [fyu] — little

Meaning of the word:
Small amount

Few is used with (people, chairs, flowers, apples).

This word is used to emphasize a small amount of something or someone. That is, we say that we have not enough of something or someonefor a specific business.

Few has a negative meaning, we say that something is not enough and we regret it. For example, she had littleacquaintances in this city, that is, she lacked communication and was lonely.

This country has few natural resources.
This country has little natural resources.

Few politicians admit their mistakes.
Little politicians admit their mistakes.

Little

Pronunciation and translation:
Little [? L? Tl] / [little] — little

Meaning of the word:
Small amount

Little we use with items that we cannot count(time, money, water, sugar, salt).

This word has the same meaning as few, says that something or someone is not enough for some purpose. And a person is upset by such a small amount.

For example, he has little money, that is, he does not have enough money to buy groceries.

Addicting a few

Pronunciation and translation:
A few [? fju?] / [e fyu] — several

Meaning of the word:
A small amount of

A few, just like few is used with items that we can count.

However, when we say a few, the sentence takes on a positive meaning, that is, the speaking person, is not at all upset by a small amount of something. He believes that this amount is quite enough.

For example, she had someacquaintances in this city, that is, she had someone to spend time with, this number of acquaintances was quite enough.

I have got a few suggestions.
I have some offers.

Source: https://draftee.ru/v-chem-raznica-mezhdu-fewer-i-less-primery-predlozhenii-c-a-little-upotreblenie-few-a-few/

Using less and fewer. Use of the words much, many, few, little, a lot of and plenty of

Scheme of using quantifiers:

1. Little — few quantifiers

We use «a little»With uncountable nouns, for example: I have some money. This means: a certain amount, not a lot.

We use «a few»With countable plural nouns, for example:

I know a few words of French. This means: a certain amount, not a lot.

We can use «little» and «few» without «a«, But in this case it means» almost no «or» almost nothing «, for example: We must hurry, we have little time.

His English is very good and he makes few mistakes.

We can also say “very little» or «very few«(Very little), for example:

She is very thin because she eats very little. I made very few mistakes in the test.

And here are some more examples using «a little» and «a few«:

I cannot buy this coat today: I have very little money. She left and returned a few minutes later. There are very few old houses left on our street. She gave us some water to wash our hands. They are very poor and they have very little money. I speak good German and also a little Spanish. There were very few people in the park: it was almost empty. Can I have some milk in my coffee, please?

I hope you think these sentences will ensure that you will make very few mistakes when speaking English.

2. Quantifiers much — many — a lot of

USING much, many, a lot of. We use much with uncountable nouns, for example: a lot of time, a lot of coffee, a lot of money, a lot of sugar.

We use many with countable nouns, for example: many books, many months, many years, many friends.

We use a lot of both uncountable and countable nouns, for example: a lot of friends, a lot of sugar, a lot of photos, a lot of time. However, it is important to note that:

1. We use a lot of mostly in positive sentences, for example: I drink a lot of tea. She carries many books.

2. We use much и many mostly in questions and negative suggestions, for example: How much money do you have? I don’t have a lot of money today. How many mistakes did you make in the test? I didn’t make many mistakes, only a few.

3. We can use lots of instead a lot of before countable nouns, for example: She has many friends.

4. We can use a lot without the noun and in this case we use it without a particle offor example: I ate a lot yesterday.

5. Sometimes much и a lot mean often, for example: Do you often go to the movies? — Not, no so much. Yes, I love movies; I go to the movies often.

More examples using much, many и a lot: I drink a lot of coffee and my sister drinks a lot of tea. What about you, do you drink a lot of coffee? I don’t know many people here. She made a lot of mistakes. There was a lot of food on the table. He talks a lot but does little. There is not much milk in the fridge. How many foreign languages can you speak? There are many trees in our park. I have money, but not much. I have read many English books.

What about you: have you read a lot of English books?

3. Quantifiers some — any

USING some и Any… We use some in positive sentences with both countable and uncountable nouns, for example: I need a little flour and a little butter to make a cake. They made several mistakes.

But the meaning may be different: using some with uncountable nouns it means «a little»; but using some with countable nouns means ‘several’, for example: Not a lot of sugar, a few books. We use Any in negative sentences, for example: We don’t have any milk. They didn’t make a single mistake.

We can also use Any in most (but not all) questions, for example: Do you have any dictionaries? Was there any water in the glass? But we usually use some not Any in questions when we offer things, for example: Would you like coffee? Or when we ask for things, like: can you lend me some money?

And here are some more examples of use Any и some: There is some oil in the refrigerator, but no milk at all. Are there eggs? — No, there are no eggs left. There are some pictures on the wall.

Do you want some tea? Do you have any brothers or sisters? Can I have some water please? Can you speak any foreign languages? I have English books, but not many. Are there shops on this street? — Yes, there are several shops on this street.

They didn’t make a single mistake. And what about you? Have you made mistakes? I hope you haven’t made any mistakes.

Few / few

So, in English we use the word «few» when we mean extremely small the amount of something or the absence of something at all.

The word is translated as «very little«, I.e. «Not enough» at all. We use it, as a rule, when we are dealing with countable plural nouns, those objects and things that can be counted.

Few
Very little James’s family members leave Pittsburgh and move to New York every year.

In the above sentence, we used “few” to indicate that only two or three family members leave the city, most of the relatives remain in place.

However, if we used “a few«, Then the meaning would change:

A few members of James «family leave Pittsburgh and move to NY each year.
Some(a small number) of James’s family members leave Pittsburgh and move to New York every year.

An exception to the use of «a few» is the expression «quite a few«-«quite a bit of«,» A decent number «,» a lot. «

little / a little

In the first example, we say that we have a little time to prepare, but this time is still enough. In the second, we mean that there is time, but it is not enough to prepare thoroughly.

For a better understanding, you can compare these words with a glass of water.

If you need to focus on the fact that the glass is half full, then we say “littlewater ”(a little water, but enough in a glass).

If you want to emphasize that the glass is half empty, then “a little water ”(there is little water and not enough water in the glass).

Small

The adjective «small» translates as «small»/«small»/«небольшой«And is used when this is aboutthe size of

Source: https://chaos-heart.ru/upotreblenie-less-i-fewer-ispolzovanie-slov-much-many-few-little-a-lot-of-i-plenty.html

The use of much, many, few, little, a lot of, plenty

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This article will show you when and where to use much, many, few, little, a lot of, plenty of in English.

The noun plays a key role in the choice of the defining word. The determiner depends on which noun is in front of us, countable (countable) or uncountable (uncountable). Once again, we recall that we can count countable nouns and they have a plural form (a boy — boys). And uncountable nouns do not have a plural form (water — some water), and we cannot count them.

We have divided all words into three groups depending on which noun they are used with. We will consider each group separately.

Much / Little Many / Few A lot of / Plenty of

Uncountable nouns	Countable nouns	Countable and uncountable nouns
How much money have you got? — How much money do you have? — There is little ink left in my pen.	I have many friends. — He has got few friends. — He has few friends.	There is a lot of sugar there. — There are plenty of plants in the garden. — There are many plants in the garden.

Many, few, a few with countable nouns

The opposite of many is few: few apples, few friends, few ideas. Few often have a negative meaning: very little, not enough, so little that practically none.

A few has an intermediate meaning between many and few, translated as «a few»: a few apples (a few apples), a few friends (a few friends), a few ideas (a few ideas).

Much, little, a little with uncountable nouns

The words much, little, and little are used with uncountable nouns. Usually, the uncountable include liquids (water — water, oil — oil), objects that are too small that cannot be counted (sand — sand, flour — flour), or abstract concepts, since they cannot be seen or touched by hands (knowledge — knowledge, work — Work).

Much stands for a large amount of something uncountable: much sugar, much milk, much time.

The opposite of much is little: little sugar, little milk, little time. Little, like few, means that something is not enough, very little.

A little means a small amount of something that cannot be counted: a little sugar, a little milk, a little time.

— Did she put much salt in the soup? — She lot put salt in the soup?
— No, she didn’t. She put little salt in the soup. — No, she put little salt in the soup. (more could have been)
— I added a little salt in her soup. — I added slightly salt in her soup.

A lot of, plenty of — universal words

The words a lot of (many) and plenty of (many) are the most «convenient»: we can use them with both countable nouns and uncountable ones.

A lot of (lots of) replaces much and many: a lot of people (many people), lots of tea (lots of tea). Plenty of means that there is a lot of something, that is, enough or even more than necessary: plenty of people (a lot of people), plenty of tea (a lot of tea).

We bought lots of souvenirs and plenty of tea when we were on vacation in Sri Lanka. — We bought lot souvenirs and lots of tea when we were on vacation in Sri Lanka.

Features and exceptions

Much, many, few, little, a lot of with uncountable nouns
There are a number of nouns that seem to be countable, but in fact are not. Sometimes it can be difficult to determine the «countability» of a noun.

If you are not sure which noun is in front of you, it is better to check it in the dictionary.

Please note that in English, uncountable includes advice, news, work, money, research, travel, furniture.

They have much work to do. — They have lot work.

Source: https://engblog.ru/much-many-few-little-a-lot-of-plenty-usage

Less / Fewer

«Less» and «fewer»Both words indicate quantitative indicators. «Less«- the comparative form of the word»little«, but «fewer«Is the comparative form»few».

Little [ˈLɪtəl] — a little, a little.
Few [fju] — a little, a little.

we have less milk than I’d hoped. — We have less milk than I had hoped.
There are fewer people than I expected. — Of people lessthan I expected.

Less

We use «less«With uncountable nouns such as: Pollution (pollution), traffic (traffic), News (news), freedom (freedom).

there is less traffic and less pollution. — There less traffic and less pollution.
We’ve been receiving a lot less news since we switched TV providers. — We get much less news since we changed TV providers.
In more conservative societies, women have less freedom than they do here. — In more conservative societies, women have less freedom than here.

fewer

We use «fewer«With quantifiable nouns such as: restaurants (restaurants), cafes (Cafe), people (people), bags (bags).

There are fewer restaurants and fewer cafes. — Here less restaurants and cafes.
Fewer people came to the opening than we had expected! — It came to the opening less people than we expected!
There are new pills with fewer side effects. — There are new drugs with smaller the number of side effects.

An exception

When we talk about measurements of time, distance, weight and money, we use “less«.

It is less than six hours until my essay is due. — Until the delivery of the essay is left less six hours.
i live less than fifty miles from London. “I live less than fifty miles from London.

More articles about English

Source: https://english5minutes.ru/less-fewer/

Difference in the use of less and fewer in English

Why is it so easy to get confused when using «less» and «fewer» — two pointers to many English languages?

Difference between less and fewer in English

fewer

This is the comparative form of the demonstrative pronoun «few«- few; little, little. Used before countable nouns when indicating the reduction of the number of objects (elements).

Countable nouns are objects and concepts, the number of which can be counted. It is expressed in pieces, units (pieces, bottles, packs, boxes) and has the plural:

3 packets of yeast;
2 watermelons;
8 eggs;
6 tomatoes.

An amazing selection of products for a wonderful dinner.

Fewer people today carry cash. — Fewer people nowadays carry cash with them.

Less

This is the comparative form of the adverb «little«- a little, a little.

Used by:

when indicating a reduction in the number of items;
before uncountable nouns in the singular.

Uncountable nouns are objects and concepts, the number of which cannot be counted. It is expressed in terms of mass, volume, but in some cases it does not have a clear definition at all:

liquids: water (water), milk (milk), oil (oil), beer (beer);
products: cheese, bread, meat;
gaseous substances: smoke (smoke), air (air), oxygen (oxygen), hydrogen (hydrogen), nitrogen (nitrogen);
substances consisting of many small particles: flour (flour), rice (rice), dust (dust), ash (dust, ash, ash);
natural phenomena: snow (snow), light (light), rain (rain), wind (wind), fog (fog), heat (heat);
abstractions: happiness, health, education, space, work, energy, truth.

there is less privacy today because of social media. — Due to the proliferation of social networks, there is less privacy in our lives today.

Less and fewer in life

In everyday life in the United States, the word «less» is regularly misused. It applies not only to uncountable, but also countable nouns.

Films, serials, programs, advertising, news. Everything becomes a victim of simplicity and laziness. Americans concentrate on the qualitative aspect — the very fact of the reduction, and not the approach to assessing this reduction — volume, quantity.

Even big politicians who claim to be the head of state sometimes use the more widespread less in places that were not intended for that. Meath Romney — the US presidential candidate from the Republican Party in the 2012 elections said (from 02:58):

And this way you get more debt. So more debt and less work. Mitt Romney

The candidate made a reservation and used «less jobs» instead of «fewer jobs «(Less work, jobs).

Similarities between less and fewer

Less and fewer with of

It is necessary to substitute the preposition “of«Before defining words:

articles (a / an, the);
pronouns (him, it);
demonstrative pronouns (this, that);
possessive pronouns (my, her, our).

I have to spend less of my time playing computer games. — I should spend less time playing computer games.

Less without a noun

The noun after «less» or «fewer» can be omitted if it is clear what is meant.

— You bought 10 bottles of juice. — You bought 10 bottles of juice.

— No way! I am sure I bought fewer… — Can not be! I’m sure I bought less.

Use cases for less and fewer

Less, fewer and weight

The whole can also be calculated using grams, kilograms, but the habit is second nature and it tells native English speakers to use “less«Instead of» fewer «.

My weight was less than 8 pounds at birth. — At birth, my weight was less than 8 pounds.

Less, fewer and money

Money is a thing that can be easily calculated. But, in life, we think of money as a whole, as an aggregate, about a mass, and not separate units, presented in the form of banknotes and coins. Therefore, when talking about money, use “less«, Not» fewer «.

I have less than 50 bucks left in my account. — I have less than $ 50 left in my account.

You can still say — fewer than 50 bucks, but it will sound strange and unexpected to those around you.

Less, fewer and percent

Determining the right word for percentages can be problematic. To do this, you need to evaluate the whole picture and ask yourself «Is it possible to calculate what we are describing?»

Fewer than 13 percent of the US citizens have black skin. — Less than 13% of the US population is black.

Counting all citizens with a dark skin color is difficult, but doable. This means 13% is a calculated value.

On the other hand, it is impossible to count the unfinished juice.

It has left less than 30 percent juice in the pack. — The package contains less than 30% of the juice.

Less, fewer and time

It will also be common to use «less«When mentioning the time. We can count the time in seconds, minutes, hours, etc., but sentences are still built with «less».

I think they could spend less time at work. — I think they could spend less time at work.

I think they could spend fewer hours at work. — I think they could spend less hours at work.

Less or Fewer? — Short video tutorial

English subtitles are available in the video.

Less & Fewer.

Source: https://englishboost.ru/less-fewer-raznitsa/

«Little» in English

How do you say «little» in English? Find out in this article!

Source: https://enjoyenglish-blog.com/razgovornyj-anglijskij/malo-na-anglijskom.html

13 mistakes in English that each of us makes — News All Kharkiv

It doesn’t matter what level you have. Even native speakers are sometimes confused in these words.

1. Lay and lie

I love to lie down in front of the fire and read — I like to lie near the fireplace with a book.

But lie is an irregular verb, in the past tense it turns into lay.

The town lay in ruins — The town lay in ruins.

And this form is written and pronounced in the same way as an independent verb to lay. The main meaning of which is “to put”.

She laid the baby on the bed — She laid the baby on the bed.

In a word, the confusion, of course, is utter, but if you look deeply into it and remember it once, it will be much easier to avoid mistakes.

2. Continual and continuous

These words can be called paronyms: they are spelled almost the same, but differ in meaning. Continual applies to repeated actions or events.

I’m sorry, I can’t work with these continual interruptions — Sorry, but I can’t work like that, I’m constantly interrupted.

Continuous, on the other hand, is about something that lasts continuously.

He spoke continuously for more than two hours — He spoke without stopping for more than two hours.

3. Envy and jealous

Even philologists cannot always explain the difference between these words clearly. Dictionaries say that jealous is primarily about jealousy.

In a moment of jealous frenzy, she cut the sleeves off all his shirts — In a fit of jealousy, she shredded the sleeves of his shirts.

But the word also has a second meaning: “annoyance that someone has what you yourself would like”. In other words, envy. The second word, envy, is also translated as “envy”.

He had always been very jealous of his brother’s success — He was always very jealous of his brother’s success.
Some of his colleagues envy the enormous wealth that he has amassed — Some of his colleagues envy his enormous wealth.

4. Fewer and less

Less is used when we talk about something abstract and uncountable, or we don’t mention the exact amount.

I eat less chocolate and fewer biscuits than I used to — I eat less chocolate and fewer biscuits than usual.
We must try to spend less money — We must try to spend less money.

Few and fewer can be safely used when talking about specific numbers or something that can be accurately calculated.

Fewer than 3,500 tigers are left in the wild today — No more than three and a half thousand tigers live in the wild today.
We received far fewer complaints than expected — We received far fewer complaints than expected.

5. Disinterested and uninterested

It seems that both prefixes — dis- and un- — denote negation. And if so, then the meaning of the words is the same. But no. Disinterested translates to the Cambridge Dictionary: disinterested as «impartial.»

A disinterested observer / judgment

If we are talking about disinterest and indifference, it would be more correct to use the option uninterested.

He’s completely uninterested in sports — He’s completely uninterested in sports.

True, not all linguists are united on this issue. The compilers of the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, for example, believe that these words can be synonymous.

6. Anxious and excited

In Russian, the word “worry” can be used not only in a negative way (“I’m terribly worried about you!”), But also in a positive way (“I was so excited when I received your letter!”). Perhaps this is why, when we speak English, we try to use anxious in similar cases. But this word is translated as «anxious, worried, nervous.»

It’s natural that you should feel anxious when you first leave home — It’s natural to be anxious when you first leave home.

If you are happy to see your friends, telling them that you are anxious to see them would be wrong. Excited is more appropriate here. By the way, the word anxious is also appropriate if we are impatient to do something or we are striving for something.

I’m anxious to get home to open my presents — I can’t wait to come home as soon as possible and open the presents.

7. Affect and effect

To deal with this dilemma, a simple hint can be used. Affect is almost always a verb, effect is a noun. Affect can be translated as «to influence, cause, lead to something.»

Factors that affect sleep include stress and many medical conditions — Causes that affect sleep include stress and various medical conditions.

Effect is, in fact, the effect or the result of some processes or events.

I’m suffering from the effects of too little sleep — I suffer from the effects of lack of sleep.

8. Among and between

Words are similar in meaning, but still not synonymous. Between translates as «between».

A narrow path runs between the two houses — A narrow path runs between the two houses.
The shop is closed for lunch between 12.30 and 1.30 — The shop is closed for lunch from half past twelve to half past one.

Among rather means «among», «one of».

The decision will not be popular among students — This decision will not be popular among students.
She divided the cake among the children — She divided the cake among the children.

If we are talking about specific people or objects, it is more appropriate to speak between, and if it is about indefinite or generalized — among.

9. Assure and ensure

She assured them, that she would be all right — She assured them that everything would be fine with her.

But ensure is appropriate to use when we ourselves want to make sure of something.

Please ensure that all examination papers have your name at the top — Please ensure that your examination papers are signed.

10. Then and than

She trained as a teacher and then became a lawyer — She studied to be a teacher, but then became a lawyer.

Than is a preposition, it is used for comparison.

It cost less than I expected — It cost less than I thought.

11. Lose and loose

I hope he doesn’t lose his job — I hope he doesn’t lose his job.

And loose translates as «relaxed», «free», «loose».

A loose dress / sweater — loose dress / sweater.

12. A lot and the lot

Here, in general, the difference is only in the article. But in English, even he can significantly change the meaning of a word. The noun lot together with the indefinite article a can be translated as «a lot», «a large number».

I’ve got a lot to do this morning — I have a lot to do this morning.

At the same time, the lot is a British colloquial element, which means not just «a lot», but «everything.»

I made enough curry for three people and he ate the lot — I cooked curry for three, and he ate it all alone.

13. Amount and number

What is the difference between fewer and less? — everything is simple

Rules of Use

For nouns that have both singular and plural, as well as when a noun / pronoun is only thought of, its presence becomes apparent from the context, the pronouns few / a few are used.

In this case, it does not matter at all how the noun forms its plural — for all these cases, the rule will act the same.

For example:

She went to the USA for a few months… — She went to America for several months.

Few of her friends had been in the USA… — Few of her friends were in America.

Example:

She stood in the USA a little last year… — Last year she spent a little time in America.

When she first came to the USA, she little thought that she would stay there so long. — When she first arrived in America, she never thought that she would stay there for so long.

Pronoun meaning (word translation)

As we noted, the pronouns few, little, a few, and a little are used to indicate not enough of something. The difference between them appears only in the context of their use with nouns.

So, few / a few is used with countable nouns, and little / a little — with those that have only a singular, or only a plural.

However, there are still some differences in meanings, which depend on the form in which the pronoun is used, and create some difference in translation.

Moreover, in the first case, the sentence will most likely contain a somewhat negative connotation, in the second — neutral:

I can’t help you. I speak very little English… — I cannot help you, I know very little English.

I can help you, I speak a little English… — I can help you, I speak a little English.

It would seem that in both cases the first part of the sentence implies the same thing — I do not speak English very well, my knowledge is hardly enough.

His English is intermediate, he forgets about his lessons. He has very little interest in languages… — His English is not above average, he forgets about his lessons. He has no interest in languages at all.
His English is intermediate, he coaches in it every weekends. He has a little interest in language. — His English is intermediate and he trains him every weekend. He has little interest in languages.
I didn’t read this book in original, I can say very little about it… — I have not read this book in the original, I can say very little about it.
I didn’t read this book in original, I can say a little about it… — I have not read this book in the original, but I can tell you a little about it.
Very few of his friends can speak English… — Almost none of his friends speak English.
A few of his friends can speak in English not bad at all. “Some of his friends don’t speak English bad at all.

Comparative and superlative

Like adjectives, quantitative pronouns in English can create degrees of comparison.

The pronouns few / a few form comparative and superlatives according to all the rules of the English language.

In the case of the pronouns little / a little, the situation is different:

few ⇒ fewer ⇒ the fewis — few ⇒ less ⇒ least
little ⇒ less ⇒ the least — little ⇒ less ⇒ least
a few / a little ⇒ more ⇒ the most — a little ⇒ more ⇒ most

Source: https://vseprostdo.ru/v-chem-raznica-mezhdu-fewer-i-less.html

What is the difference between fewer and less. use of the words much, many, few, little, a lot of and plenty of

So, in English we use the word «few» when we mean extremely small the amount of something or the absence of something at all.

The word is translated as «very little«, I.e. «Not enough» at all. We use it, as a rule, when we are dealing with countable plural nouns, those objects and things that can be counted.

Few
Very little James’s family members leave Pittsburgh and move to New York every year.

In the above sentence, we used “few” to indicate that only two or three family members leave the city, most of the relatives remain in place.

However, if we used “a few«, Then the meaning would change:

A few members of James «family leave Pittsburgh and move to NY each year.
Some(a small number) of James’s family members leave Pittsburgh and move to New York every year.

An exception to the use of «a few» is the expression «quite a few«-«quite a bit of«,» A decent number «,» a lot. «

little / a little

In the first example, we say that we have a little time to prepare, but this time is still enough. In the second, we mean that there is time, but it is not enough to prepare thoroughly.

For a better understanding, you can compare these words with a glass of water.

If you need to focus on the fact that the glass is half full, then we say “littlewater ”(a little water, but enough in a glass).

If you want to emphasize that the glass is half empty, then “a little water ”(there is little water and not enough water in the glass).

Small

The adjective «small» translates as «small»/«small»/«небольшой«And is used when this is aboutthe size of

Source: https://film05.ru/bathroom/v-chem-raznica-mezhdu-fewer-i-less-ispolzovanie-slov-much-many-few-little-a-lot-of-i-plenty.html

Countable and uncountable nouns — video tutorial

That’s a lot of butter! — How much oil is there

Finding hundreds of pencils in a desk drawer, you say no Wow! That’s a lot of pencil !, a

That’s a lot of pencils! — Wow, how many pencils!

Uncountable nouns

They can be counted only in 3 cases:

— in the limitation of stick meters

a stick of butter — a pack of butter

— to distinguish between subspecies

3 butters — lime butter, pepper butter, chilly butter — 3 types of butter — lime, pepper, chili

— to mark packages in catering

Waiter, we need some more butters here — Waiter, more packs of butter here

Countable nouns

Countable nouns in English are subject-matter — they can always be counted, put in the plural, and numbered.

5 pencils — 5 pencils

2 cars — 2 cars

7 people — 7 people

3 children — 3 children

Quantitative nouns

There are quantitative nouns and pronouns that are combined with only 1 of 2 classes. So, an amount of requires an uncountable noun, and number of requires a countable noun.

a number of cows — several cows

less applause — less applause

less than 10 dollars — less than 10 dollars

In some illiterate supermarkets, you can see the inscription Less than 10 items express checkout. That’s right

Fewer than 10 items — Up to 10 purchases

Fun Facts

Dandelion root can be roasted and ground as a coffee substitute.

Source: https://www.lovelylanguage.ru/grammar/video-lessons/count-and-mass-nouns

13 mistakes in English that each of us makes

I love to lie down in front of the fire and read — I like to lie near the fireplace with a book.

But lie is an irregular verb, in the past tense it turns into lay.

The town lay in ruins — The town lay in ruins.

And this form is written and pronounced in the same way as an independent verb to lay. The main meaning of which is «to put».

She laid the baby on the bed — She laid the baby on the bed.

In a word, the confusion, of course, is utter, but if you look deeply into it and remember it once, it will be much easier to avoid mistakes.

2. Continual and continuous

These words can be called paronyms: they are spelled almost the same, but differ in meaning. Continual applies to repeated actions or events.

I’m sorry, I can’t work with these continual interruptions — Sorry, but I can’t work like that, I’m constantly interrupted.

But continuous is about something that lasts continuously.

He spoke continuously for more than two hours — He spoke without stopping for more than two hours.

3. Envy and jealous

Even philologists cannot always explain the difference between these words clearly. Dictionaries say that jealous is primarily about jealousy.

In a moment of jealous frenzy, she cut the sleeves off all his shirts — In a fit of jealousy, she shredded the sleeves of his shirts.

But the word has a second meaning: «annoyance because someone has what you yourself would like.» In other words, envy. It is how “envy” translates the second word, envy.

He had always been very jealous of his brother’s success — He was always very jealous of his brother’s success.
Some of his colleagues envy the enormous wealth that he has amassed — Some of his colleagues envy his enormous wealth.

4. Fewer and less

Less is used when we are talking about something abstract and uncountable, or when we don’t mention the exact amount.

I eat less chocolate and fewer biscuits than I used to — I eat less chocolate and fewer biscuits than usual.
We must try to spend less money — We must try to spend less money.

Few and fewer can be safely used when talking about specific numbers or something that can be accurately calculated.

Fewer than 3,500 tigers are left in the wild today — No more than three and a half thousand tigers live in the wild today.
We received far fewer complaints than expected — We received far fewer complaints than expected.

5. Disinterested and uninterested

It seems that both prefixes — dis- and un- — denote negation. And if so, then the meaning of the words is the same. But no. Disinterested translates to impartial.

A disinterested observer / judgment

If we are talking about disinterest and indifference, it would be more correct to use the option uninterested.

He’s completely uninterested in sports — He’s completely uninterested in sports.

True, not all linguists are united on this issue. The compilers of the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, for example, believe that these words can be synonymous.

6. Anxious and excited

It’s natural that you should feel anxious when you first leave home — It’s natural to be anxious when you first leave home.

I’m anxious to get home to open my presents — I can’t wait to come home as soon as possible and open the presents.

7. Affect and effect

To deal with this dilemma, a simple hint can be used. Affect is almost always a verb, effect is a noun. Affect can be translated as «influence, cause, lead to something.»

Factors that affect sleep include stress and many medical conditions — Causes that affect sleep include stress and various medical conditions.

Effect is, in fact, the effect or the result of some processes or events.

I’m suffering from the effects of too little sleep — I suffer from the effects of lack of sleep.

8. Among and between

Words are similar in meaning, but still not synonymous. Between translates as «between».

A narrow path runs between the two houses — A narrow path runs between the two houses.
The shop is closed for lunch between 12.30 and 1.30 — The shop is closed for lunch from half past twelve to half past one.

Among rather means «among», «one of».

The decision will not be popular among students — This decision will not be popular among students.
She divided the cake among the children — She divided the cake between the children.

If we are talking about specific people or objects, it is more appropriate to speak between, and if it is about indefinite or generalized — among.

9. Assure and ensure

She assured them, that she would be all right — She assured them that everything would be fine with her.

But ensure is appropriate to use when we ourselves want to make sure of something.

Please ensure that all examination papers have your name at the top — Please ensure that your examination papers are signed.

10. Then and than

She trained as a teacher and then became a lawyer — She studied to be a teacher, but then became a lawyer.

Than is a preposition, it is used for comparison.

It cost less than I expected — It cost less than I thought.

11. Lose and loose

I hope he doesn’t lose his job — I hope he doesn’t lose his job.

And loose translates as «relaxed», «free», «loose».

A loose dress / sweater — loose dress / sweater.

12. A lot and the lot

I’ve got a lot to do this morning — I have a lot to do this morning.

At the same time, the lot is a British colloquial element, which means not just «a lot», but «everything.»

I made enough curry for three people and he ate the lot — I cooked curry for three, and he ate it all alone.

13. Amount and number

The project will take a huge amount of time and money — This project will take a huge amount of time and money.
A small number of children are educated at home — A small number of children study at home.

UPD. Updated on October 25, 2019.

Source: `https://lifehacker.ru/20-oshibok-v-anglijskom-yazyke-kotorye-delaet-kazhdyj-iz-nas/`

13 Difficulties in English and How to Avoid Them

Incorrect use of apostrophes

Example: «The girl’s horse» — the horse belongs to the girl.

To indicate that an object belongs to several persons, the apostrophe must be placed after the end of «-s».

Example: «The girls’ horse» — the horse belongs to girls.

Your or you’re

“Your” is used when an object belongs to you.

Example: «Today is your lucky day» — Today is your lucky day.

“You’re” is used only as a shorthand for “you are”: pronoun “you” + verb “are”.

Example: “You’re beautiful” — You are beautiful.

There, their and they’re

“Their” indicates that the object belongs to others.

Example: «Can we use their boat?» — Can we use their boat?

“They’re” is a shorthand for “they are”: the pronoun “they” + the verb “are”.

Example: «They’re going to be here soon» — They will be here soon.

Fewer or less

“Fewer” is used with countable nouns, that is, words that can be counted: cake, piece, grains of sand.

Example: «Fewer grains of sand» — Fewer grains of sand.

“Less” is used with uncountable nouns, that is, those that cannot be counted: coffee, water, sand.

Example: «Less sand» — less sand.

Amount or number

The same rule applies here as in the previous example. “Number” is used with countable nouns: birds, tables, chairs.

Example: «A greater number of people» — More and more people.

“Amount” is used with uncountable nouns: water, sugar, sand.

Example: «A larger amount of water» — More water.

To, two and too

The words sound identical, which is confusing for English learners. By ear, you can distinguish them by understanding other words from the context and the general meaning of the statements.

“To” is the particle that is used to form the initial form of the verb: “to talk” — to speak. “To” is also used to mean “towards something”.

Example: «I’m going to town» — I’m going to town.

“Too” means “too”, “also”, “too”.

Example: «I’m too hot» — I’m too hot.

“Two” means “two”.

Example: «He bought two cakes» — He bought two cakes.

Then or than

“Then” and “than” are often confused not only because they sound similar, but also because they are written almost the same.

“Than” is used when we want to compare two objects.

Example: This dress is more beautiful than that one — This dress is more beautiful than that.

“Then” is used to indicate an event that will follow another, such as when making a plan or schedule.

Example: We’ll go to the cinema and then to the cafe — We will go to the cinema and then to the cafe.

Me, myself, I

To check which pronoun you need at the moment, “me” or “I”, remove the name of the person you are talking about and see which pronoun sounds more correct.

In the sentence “John and I are off to the circus” — “John and I are going to the circus” you are not only talking about yourself, so it is better to use the pronoun “I”.

«Me» can only be used when you talk about yourself as an object, that is, when an action is directed at you. Also, «me» is placed after the preposition, that is, you cannot say «with I», we say «with me».

Use the pronoun “myself” if you have already used the pronoun “I” or if you want to emphasize that you are doing an action on your own or in relation to only yourself.

Who or whom

Another tricky moment for people learning English.

“Who” refers to the one who performs the action.

Example: “Who did this? He did ”- Who did it? — He did it.

Whereas “whom” is used to refer to the object to which the action is directed.

Example: “Whom should I invite? Invite him ”. Who should I invite? — Invite him.

Who and that

Often, English learners use “that” instead of “who” or “whom,” which is incorrect. You cannot use “that” when you are talking about a person.

Example: “He was the only person who wanted to come” — He was the only one who wanted to come.

Affect or effect

The words are easy to get confused because they sound and spelled almost the same. But there is a simple rule to help you remember the difference between the two.

Example: “They were directly affected by the flooding” — The flood directly affected them.

Example: “He waited for the medicine to have an effect” — He expected the drug to be effective.

Ie or Eg

English learners often do not know the decoding of these abbreviations, so they use them incorrectly when writing.

Ie means “that is” or “in other words”, comes from the Latin expression “id est”.

Example: «He objects to the changes — ie he won’t be accepting them» — He objects to the changes, that is, he won’t accept them.

Eg means “for example,” comes from the Latin expression “exempli gratia”.

Example: “He d many different cheeses, eg cheddar, camembert and brie” — He liked many different cheeses, eg cheddar, camembert and brie.

Use these abbreviations only in informal correspondence. In official documents, it is better to write their values in expanded form: “for example” and “that is”.

Its or it’s

We wrote above that apostrophes are used to indicate that something belongs to someone or something, but there is an exception to the rule — the pronoun “it”.

“It’s” is used only as a shorthand for “it is” or “it has”. Example: “It’s snowing outside” — It is snowing outside.

“Its” denotes the belonging of an object to an inanimate object, animal or plant. As with “his” and “hers,” there is no apostrophe here.

Example: «The sofa looks great with its new cover» — The sofa looks great with its new cover.

We hope that this article has explained some of the difficulties of the English language and will serve you as an assistant in learning it!

Source: https://blog.teachmeplease.ru/posts/13-trudnostey-angliyskogo-yazyka

What is the difference between fewer and less. example sentences ca little. use of few, a few, little, a little

Use few

Pronunciation and translation:
Few / [fyu] — little

Meaning of the word:
Small amount

Few is used with (people, chairs, flowers, apples).

This word is used to emphasize a small amount of something or someone. That is, we say that we have not enough of something or someonefor a specific business.

Few has a negative meaning, we say that something is not enough and we regret it. For example, she had littleacquaintances in this city, that is, she lacked communication and was lonely.

This country has few natural resources.
This country has little natural resources.

Few politicians admit their mistakes.
Little politicians admit their mistakes.

Little

Pronunciation and translation:
Little [? L? Tl] / [little] — little

Meaning of the word:
Small amount

Little we use with items that we cannot count(time, money, water, sugar, salt).

This word has the same meaning as few, says that something or someone is not enough for some purpose. And a person is upset by such a small amount.

For example, he has little money, that is, he does not have enough money to buy groceries.

Addicting a few

Pronunciation and translation:
A few [? fju?] / [e fyu] — several

Meaning of the word:
A small amount of

A few, just like few is used with items that we can count.

For example, she had someacquaintances in this city, that is, she had someone to spend time with, this number of acquaintances was quite enough.

I have got a few suggestions.
I have some offers.

Source: https://draftee.ru/v-chem-raznica-mezhdu-fewer-i-less-primery-predlozhenii-c-a-little-upotreblenie-few-a-few/

Using less and fewer. Use of the words much, many, few, little, a lot of and plenty of

Scheme of using quantifiers:

1. Little — few quantifiers

We use «a little»With uncountable nouns, for example: I have some money. This means: a certain amount, not a lot.

We use «a few»With countable plural nouns, for example:

I know a few words of French. This means: a certain amount, not a lot.

We can use «little» and «few» without «a«, But in this case it means» almost no «or» almost nothing «, for example: We must hurry, we have little time.

His English is very good and he makes few mistakes.

We can also say “very little» or «very few«(Very little), for example:

She is very thin because she eats very little. I made very few mistakes in the test.

And here are some more examples using «a little» and «a few«:

I hope you think these sentences will ensure that you will make very few mistakes when speaking English.

2. Quantifiers much — many — a lot of

USING much, many, a lot of. We use much with uncountable nouns, for example: a lot of time, a lot of coffee, a lot of money, a lot of sugar.

We use many with countable nouns, for example: many books, many months, many years, many friends.

We use a lot of both uncountable and countable nouns, for example: a lot of friends, a lot of sugar, a lot of photos, a lot of time. However, it is important to note that:

1. We use a lot of mostly in positive sentences, for example: I drink a lot of tea. She carries many books.

3. We can use lots of instead a lot of before countable nouns, for example: She has many friends.

4. We can use a lot without the noun and in this case we use it without a particle offor example: I ate a lot yesterday.

5. Sometimes much и a lot mean often, for example: Do you often go to the movies? — Not, no so much. Yes, I love movies; I go to the movies often.

What about you: have you read a lot of English books?

3. Quantifiers some — any

And here are some more examples of use Any и some: There is some oil in the refrigerator, but no milk at all. Are there eggs? — No, there are no eggs left. There are some pictures on the wall.

They didn’t make a single mistake. And what about you? Have you made mistakes? I hope you haven’t made any mistakes.

Few / few

So, in English we use the word «few» when we mean extremely small the amount of something or the absence of something at all.

The word is translated as «very little«, I.e. «Not enough» at all. We use it, as a rule, when we are dealing with countable plural nouns, those objects and things that can be counted.

Few
Very little James’s family members leave Pittsburgh and move to New York every year.

In the above sentence, we used “few” to indicate that only two or three family members leave the city, most of the relatives remain in place.

However, if we used “a few«, Then the meaning would change:

A few members of James «family leave Pittsburgh and move to NY each year.
Some(a small number) of James’s family members leave Pittsburgh and move to New York every year.

An exception to the use of «a few» is the expression «quite a few«-«quite a bit of«,» A decent number «,» a lot. «

little / a little

In the first example, we say that we have a little time to prepare, but this time is still enough. In the second, we mean that there is time, but it is not enough to prepare thoroughly.

For a better understanding, you can compare these words with a glass of water.

If you need to focus on the fact that the glass is half full, then we say “littlewater ”(a little water, but enough in a glass).

If you want to emphasize that the glass is half empty, then “a little water ”(there is little water and not enough water in the glass).

Small

The adjective «small» translates as «small»/«small»/«небольшой«And is used when this is aboutthe size of

Source: https://chaos-heart.ru/upotreblenie-less-i-fewer-ispolzovanie-slov-much-many-few-little-a-lot-of-i-plenty.html

The use of much, many, few, little, a lot of, plenty

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This article will show you when and where to use much, many, few, little, a lot of, plenty of in English.

The noun plays a key role in the choice of the defining word. The determiner depends on which noun is in front of us, countable (countable) or uncountable (uncountable). Once again, we recall that we can count countable nouns and they have a plural form (a boy — boys). And uncountable nouns do not have a plural form (water — some water), and we cannot count them.

We have divided all words into three groups depending on which noun they are used with. We will consider each group separately.

Much / Little Many / Few A lot of / Plenty of

Uncountable nouns	Countable nouns	Countable and uncountable nouns
How much money have you got? — How much money do you have? — There is little ink left in my pen.	I have many friends. — He has got few friends. — He has few friends.	There is a lot of sugar there. — There are plenty of plants in the garden. — There are many plants in the garden.

Many, few, a few with countable nouns

The opposite of many is few: few apples, few friends, few ideas. Few often have a negative meaning: very little, not enough, so little that practically none.

A few has an intermediate meaning between many and few, translated as «a few»: a few apples (a few apples), a few friends (a few friends), a few ideas (a few ideas).

Much, little, a little with uncountable nouns

Much stands for a large amount of something uncountable: much sugar, much milk, much time.

The opposite of much is little: little sugar, little milk, little time. Little, like few, means that something is not enough, very little.

A little means a small amount of something that cannot be counted: a little sugar, a little milk, a little time.

A lot of, plenty of — universal words

The words a lot of (many) and plenty of (many) are the most «convenient»: we can use them with both countable nouns and uncountable ones.

We bought lots of souvenirs and plenty of tea when we were on vacation in Sri Lanka. — We bought lot souvenirs and lots of tea when we were on vacation in Sri Lanka.

Features and exceptions

Much, many, few, little, a lot of with uncountable nouns
There are a number of nouns that seem to be countable, but in fact are not. Sometimes it can be difficult to determine the «countability» of a noun.

If you are not sure which noun is in front of you, it is better to check it in the dictionary.

Please note that in English, uncountable includes advice, news, work, money, research, travel, furniture.

They have much work to do. — They have lot work.

Source: https://engblog.ru/much-many-few-little-a-lot-of-plenty-usage

Less / Fewer

«Less» and «fewer»Both words indicate quantitative indicators. «Less«- the comparative form of the word»little«, but «fewer«Is the comparative form»few».

Little [ˈLɪtəl] — a little, a little.
Few [fju] — a little, a little.

we have less milk than I’d hoped. — We have less milk than I had hoped.
There are fewer people than I expected. — Of people lessthan I expected.

Less

We use «less«With uncountable nouns such as: Pollution (pollution), traffic (traffic), News (news), freedom (freedom).

there is less traffic and less pollution. — There less traffic and less pollution.
We’ve been receiving a lot less news since we switched TV providers. — We get much less news since we changed TV providers.
In more conservative societies, women have less freedom than they do here. — In more conservative societies, women have less freedom than here.

fewer

We use «fewer«With quantifiable nouns such as: restaurants (restaurants), cafes (Cafe), people (people), bags (bags).

There are fewer restaurants and fewer cafes. — Here less restaurants and cafes.
Fewer people came to the opening than we had expected! — It came to the opening less people than we expected!
There are new pills with fewer side effects. — There are new drugs with smaller the number of side effects.

An exception

When we talk about measurements of time, distance, weight and money, we use “less«.

It is less than six hours until my essay is due. — Until the delivery of the essay is left less six hours.
i live less than fifty miles from London. “I live less than fifty miles from London.

More articles about English

Source: https://english5minutes.ru/less-fewer/

Difference in the use of less and fewer in English

Why is it so easy to get confused when using «less» and «fewer» — two pointers to many English languages?

Difference between less and fewer in English

fewer

This is the comparative form of the demonstrative pronoun «few«- few; little, little. Used before countable nouns when indicating the reduction of the number of objects (elements).

Countable nouns are objects and concepts, the number of which can be counted. It is expressed in pieces, units (pieces, bottles, packs, boxes) and has the plural:

3 packets of yeast;
2 watermelons;
8 eggs;
6 tomatoes.

An amazing selection of products for a wonderful dinner.

Fewer people today carry cash. — Fewer people nowadays carry cash with them.

Less

This is the comparative form of the adverb «little«- a little, a little.

Used by:

when indicating a reduction in the number of items;
before uncountable nouns in the singular.

Uncountable nouns are objects and concepts, the number of which cannot be counted. It is expressed in terms of mass, volume, but in some cases it does not have a clear definition at all:

liquids: water (water), milk (milk), oil (oil), beer (beer);
products: cheese, bread, meat;
gaseous substances: smoke (smoke), air (air), oxygen (oxygen), hydrogen (hydrogen), nitrogen (nitrogen);
substances consisting of many small particles: flour (flour), rice (rice), dust (dust), ash (dust, ash, ash);
natural phenomena: snow (snow), light (light), rain (rain), wind (wind), fog (fog), heat (heat);
abstractions: happiness, health, education, space, work, energy, truth.

there is less privacy today because of social media. — Due to the proliferation of social networks, there is less privacy in our lives today.

Less and fewer in life

In everyday life in the United States, the word «less» is regularly misused. It applies not only to uncountable, but also countable nouns.

And this way you get more debt. So more debt and less work. Mitt Romney

The candidate made a reservation and used «less jobs» instead of «fewer jobs «(Less work, jobs).

Similarities between less and fewer

Less and fewer with of

It is necessary to substitute the preposition “of«Before defining words:

articles (a / an, the);
pronouns (him, it);
demonstrative pronouns (this, that);
possessive pronouns (my, her, our).

I have to spend less of my time playing computer games. — I should spend less time playing computer games.

Less without a noun

The noun after «less» or «fewer» can be omitted if it is clear what is meant.

— You bought 10 bottles of juice. — You bought 10 bottles of juice.

— No way! I am sure I bought fewer… — Can not be! I’m sure I bought less.

Use cases for less and fewer

Less, fewer and weight

The whole can also be calculated using grams, kilograms, but the habit is second nature and it tells native English speakers to use “less«Instead of» fewer «.

My weight was less than 8 pounds at birth. — At birth, my weight was less than 8 pounds.

Less, fewer and money

I have less than 50 bucks left in my account. — I have less than $ 50 left in my account.

You can still say — fewer than 50 bucks, but it will sound strange and unexpected to those around you.

Less, fewer and percent

Determining the right word for percentages can be problematic. To do this, you need to evaluate the whole picture and ask yourself «Is it possible to calculate what we are describing?»

Fewer than 13 percent of the US citizens have black skin. — Less than 13% of the US population is black.

Counting all citizens with a dark skin color is difficult, but doable. This means 13% is a calculated value.

On the other hand, it is impossible to count the unfinished juice.

It has left less than 30 percent juice in the pack. — The package contains less than 30% of the juice.

Less, fewer and time

It will also be common to use «less«When mentioning the time. We can count the time in seconds, minutes, hours, etc., but sentences are still built with «less».

I think they could spend less time at work. — I think they could spend less time at work.

I think they could spend fewer hours at work. — I think they could spend less hours at work.

Less or Fewer? — Short video tutorial

English subtitles are available in the video.

Less & Fewer.

Source: https://englishboost.ru/less-fewer-raznitsa/

«Little» in English

How do you say «little» in English? Find out in this article!

Source: https://enjoyenglish-blog.com/razgovornyj-anglijskij/malo-na-anglijskom.html

13 mistakes in English that each of us makes — News All Kharkiv

It doesn’t matter what level you have. Even native speakers are sometimes confused in these words.

1. Lay and lie

I love to lie down in front of the fire and read — I like to lie near the fireplace with a book.

But lie is an irregular verb, in the past tense it turns into lay.

The town lay in ruins — The town lay in ruins.

And this form is written and pronounced in the same way as an independent verb to lay. The main meaning of which is “to put”.

She laid the baby on the bed — She laid the baby on the bed.

In a word, the confusion, of course, is utter, but if you look deeply into it and remember it once, it will be much easier to avoid mistakes.

2. Continual and continuous

These words can be called paronyms: they are spelled almost the same, but differ in meaning. Continual applies to repeated actions or events.

I’m sorry, I can’t work with these continual interruptions — Sorry, but I can’t work like that, I’m constantly interrupted.

Continuous, on the other hand, is about something that lasts continuously.

He spoke continuously for more than two hours — He spoke without stopping for more than two hours.

3. Envy and jealous

Even philologists cannot always explain the difference between these words clearly. Dictionaries say that jealous is primarily about jealousy.

In a moment of jealous frenzy, she cut the sleeves off all his shirts — In a fit of jealousy, she shredded the sleeves of his shirts.

But the word also has a second meaning: “annoyance that someone has what you yourself would like”. In other words, envy. The second word, envy, is also translated as “envy”.

He had always been very jealous of his brother’s success — He was always very jealous of his brother’s success.
Some of his colleagues envy the enormous wealth that he has amassed — Some of his colleagues envy his enormous wealth.

4. Fewer and less

Less is used when we talk about something abstract and uncountable, or we don’t mention the exact amount.

I eat less chocolate and fewer biscuits than I used to — I eat less chocolate and fewer biscuits than usual.
We must try to spend less money — We must try to spend less money.

Few and fewer can be safely used when talking about specific numbers or something that can be accurately calculated.

Fewer than 3,500 tigers are left in the wild today — No more than three and a half thousand tigers live in the wild today.
We received far fewer complaints than expected — We received far fewer complaints than expected.

5. Disinterested and uninterested

A disinterested observer / judgment

If we are talking about disinterest and indifference, it would be more correct to use the option uninterested.

He’s completely uninterested in sports — He’s completely uninterested in sports.

True, not all linguists are united on this issue. The compilers of the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, for example, believe that these words can be synonymous.

6. Anxious and excited

It’s natural that you should feel anxious when you first leave home — It’s natural to be anxious when you first leave home.

I’m anxious to get home to open my presents — I can’t wait to come home as soon as possible and open the presents.

7. Affect and effect

To deal with this dilemma, a simple hint can be used. Affect is almost always a verb, effect is a noun. Affect can be translated as «to influence, cause, lead to something.»

Factors that affect sleep include stress and many medical conditions — Causes that affect sleep include stress and various medical conditions.

Effect is, in fact, the effect or the result of some processes or events.

I’m suffering from the effects of too little sleep — I suffer from the effects of lack of sleep.

8. Among and between

Words are similar in meaning, but still not synonymous. Between translates as «between».

A narrow path runs between the two houses — A narrow path runs between the two houses.
The shop is closed for lunch between 12.30 and 1.30 — The shop is closed for lunch from half past twelve to half past one.

Among rather means «among», «one of».

The decision will not be popular among students — This decision will not be popular among students.
She divided the cake among the children — She divided the cake among the children.

If we are talking about specific people or objects, it is more appropriate to speak between, and if it is about indefinite or generalized — among.

9. Assure and ensure

She assured them, that she would be all right — She assured them that everything would be fine with her.

But ensure is appropriate to use when we ourselves want to make sure of something.

Please ensure that all examination papers have your name at the top — Please ensure that your examination papers are signed.

10. Then and than

She trained as a teacher and then became a lawyer — She studied to be a teacher, but then became a lawyer.

Than is a preposition, it is used for comparison.

It cost less than I expected — It cost less than I thought.

11. Lose and loose

I hope he doesn’t lose his job — I hope he doesn’t lose his job.

And loose translates as «relaxed», «free», «loose».

A loose dress / sweater — loose dress / sweater.

12. A lot and the lot

I’ve got a lot to do this morning — I have a lot to do this morning.

At the same time, the lot is a British colloquial element, which means not just «a lot», but «everything.»

I made enough curry for three people and he ate the lot — I cooked curry for three, and he ate it all alone.

What is the difference between fewer and less? — everything is simple

Rules of Use

For nouns that have both singular and plural, as well as when a noun / pronoun is only thought of, its presence becomes apparent from the context, the pronouns few / a few are used.

In this case, it does not matter at all how the noun forms its plural — for all these cases, the rule will act the same.

For example:

She went to the USA for a few months… — She went to America for several months.

Few of her friends had been in the USA… — Few of her friends were in America.

Example:

She stood in the USA a little last year… — Last year she spent a little time in America.

When she first came to the USA, she little thought that she would stay there so long. — When she first arrived in America, she never thought that she would stay there for so long.

Pronoun meaning (word translation)

As we noted, the pronouns few, little, a few, and a little are used to indicate not enough of something. The difference between them appears only in the context of their use with nouns.

So, few / a few is used with countable nouns, and little / a little — with those that have only a singular, or only a plural.

However, there are still some differences in meanings, which depend on the form in which the pronoun is used, and create some difference in translation.

Moreover, in the first case, the sentence will most likely contain a somewhat negative connotation, in the second — neutral:

I can’t help you. I speak very little English… — I cannot help you, I know very little English.

I can help you, I speak a little English… — I can help you, I speak a little English.

It would seem that in both cases the first part of the sentence implies the same thing — I do not speak English very well, my knowledge is hardly enough.

His English is intermediate, he forgets about his lessons. He has very little interest in languages… — His English is not above average, he forgets about his lessons. He has no interest in languages at all.
His English is intermediate, he coaches in it every weekends. He has a little interest in language. — His English is intermediate and he trains him every weekend. He has little interest in languages.
I didn’t read this book in original, I can say very little about it… — I have not read this book in the original, I can say very little about it.
I didn’t read this book in original, I can say a little about it… — I have not read this book in the original, but I can tell you a little about it.
Very few of his friends can speak English… — Almost none of his friends speak English.
A few of his friends can speak in English not bad at all. “Some of his friends don’t speak English bad at all.

Comparative and superlative

Like adjectives, quantitative pronouns in English can create degrees of comparison.

The pronouns few / a few form comparative and superlatives according to all the rules of the English language.

In the case of the pronouns little / a little, the situation is different:

few ⇒ fewer ⇒ the fewis — few ⇒ less ⇒ least
little ⇒ less ⇒ the least — little ⇒ less ⇒ least
a few / a little ⇒ more ⇒ the most — a little ⇒ more ⇒ most

Source: https://vseprostdo.ru/v-chem-raznica-mezhdu-fewer-i-less.html

What is the difference between fewer and less. use of the words much, many, few, little, a lot of and plenty of

So, in English we use the word «few» when we mean extremely small the amount of something or the absence of something at all.

The word is translated as «very little«, I.e. «Not enough» at all. We use it, as a rule, when we are dealing with countable plural nouns, those objects and things that can be counted.

Few
Very little James’s family members leave Pittsburgh and move to New York every year.

In the above sentence, we used “few” to indicate that only two or three family members leave the city, most of the relatives remain in place.

However, if we used “a few«, Then the meaning would change:

A few members of James «family leave Pittsburgh and move to NY each year.
Some(a small number) of James’s family members leave Pittsburgh and move to New York every year.

An exception to the use of «a few» is the expression «quite a few«-«quite a bit of«,» A decent number «,» a lot. «

little / a little

In the first example, we say that we have a little time to prepare, but this time is still enough. In the second, we mean that there is time, but it is not enough to prepare thoroughly.

For a better understanding, you can compare these words with a glass of water.

If you need to focus on the fact that the glass is half full, then we say “littlewater ”(a little water, but enough in a glass).

If you want to emphasize that the glass is half empty, then “a little water ”(there is little water and not enough water in the glass).

Small

The adjective «small» translates as «small»/«small»/«небольшой«And is used when this is aboutthe size of

Source: https://film05.ru/bathroom/v-chem-raznica-mezhdu-fewer-i-less-ispolzovanie-slov-much-many-few-little-a-lot-of-i-plenty.html

Countable and uncountable nouns — video tutorial

That’s a lot of butter! — How much oil is there

Finding hundreds of pencils in a desk drawer, you say no Wow! That’s a lot of pencil !, a

That’s a lot of pencils! — Wow, how many pencils!

Uncountable nouns

They can be counted only in 3 cases:

— in the limitation of stick meters

a stick of butter — a pack of butter

— to distinguish between subspecies

3 butters — lime butter, pepper butter, chilly butter — 3 types of butter — lime, pepper, chili

— to mark packages in catering

Waiter, we need some more butters here — Waiter, more packs of butter here

Countable nouns

Countable nouns in English are subject-matter — they can always be counted, put in the plural, and numbered.

5 pencils — 5 pencils

2 cars — 2 cars

7 people — 7 people

3 children — 3 children

Quantitative nouns

There are quantitative nouns and pronouns that are combined with only 1 of 2 classes. So, an amount of requires an uncountable noun, and number of requires a countable noun.

a number of cows — several cows

less applause — less applause

less than 10 dollars — less than 10 dollars

In some illiterate supermarkets, you can see the inscription Less than 10 items express checkout. That’s right

Fewer than 10 items — Up to 10 purchases

Fun Facts

Dandelion root can be roasted and ground as a coffee substitute.

Source: https://www.lovelylanguage.ru/grammar/video-lessons/count-and-mass-nouns

13 mistakes in English that each of us makes

I love to lie down in front of the fire and read — I like to lie near the fireplace with a book.

But lie is an irregular verb, in the past tense it turns into lay.

The town lay in ruins — The town lay in ruins.

And this form is written and pronounced in the same way as an independent verb to lay. The main meaning of which is «to put».

She laid the baby on the bed — She laid the baby on the bed.

In a word, the confusion, of course, is utter, but if you look deeply into it and remember it once, it will be much easier to avoid mistakes.

2. Continual and continuous

These words can be called paronyms: they are spelled almost the same, but differ in meaning. Continual applies to repeated actions or events.

I’m sorry, I can’t work with these continual interruptions — Sorry, but I can’t work like that, I’m constantly interrupted.

But continuous is about something that lasts continuously.

He spoke continuously for more than two hours — He spoke without stopping for more than two hours.

3. Envy and jealous

Even philologists cannot always explain the difference between these words clearly. Dictionaries say that jealous is primarily about jealousy.

In a moment of jealous frenzy, she cut the sleeves off all his shirts — In a fit of jealousy, she shredded the sleeves of his shirts.

But the word has a second meaning: «annoyance because someone has what you yourself would like.» In other words, envy. It is how “envy” translates the second word, envy.

He had always been very jealous of his brother’s success — He was always very jealous of his brother’s success.
Some of his colleagues envy the enormous wealth that he has amassed — Some of his colleagues envy his enormous wealth.

4. Fewer and less

Less is used when we are talking about something abstract and uncountable, or when we don’t mention the exact amount.

I eat less chocolate and fewer biscuits than I used to — I eat less chocolate and fewer biscuits than usual.
We must try to spend less money — We must try to spend less money.

Few and fewer can be safely used when talking about specific numbers or something that can be accurately calculated.

Fewer than 3,500 tigers are left in the wild today — No more than three and a half thousand tigers live in the wild today.
We received far fewer complaints than expected — We received far fewer complaints than expected.

5. Disinterested and uninterested

It seems that both prefixes — dis- and un- — denote negation. And if so, then the meaning of the words is the same. But no. Disinterested translates to impartial.

A disinterested observer / judgment

If we are talking about disinterest and indifference, it would be more correct to use the option uninterested.

He’s completely uninterested in sports — He’s completely uninterested in sports.

True, not all linguists are united on this issue. The compilers of the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, for example, believe that these words can be synonymous.

6. Anxious and excited

It’s natural that you should feel anxious when you first leave home — It’s natural to be anxious when you first leave home.

I’m anxious to get home to open my presents — I can’t wait to come home as soon as possible and open the presents.

7. Affect and effect

To deal with this dilemma, a simple hint can be used. Affect is almost always a verb, effect is a noun. Affect can be translated as «influence, cause, lead to something.»

Factors that affect sleep include stress and many medical conditions — Causes that affect sleep include stress and various medical conditions.

Effect is, in fact, the effect or the result of some processes or events.

I’m suffering from the effects of too little sleep — I suffer from the effects of lack of sleep.

8. Among and between

Words are similar in meaning, but still not synonymous. Between translates as «between».

A narrow path runs between the two houses — A narrow path runs between the two houses.
The shop is closed for lunch between 12.30 and 1.30 — The shop is closed for lunch from half past twelve to half past one.

Among rather means «among», «one of».

The decision will not be popular among students — This decision will not be popular among students.
She divided the cake among the children — She divided the cake between the children.

If we are talking about specific people or objects, it is more appropriate to speak between, and if it is about indefinite or generalized — among.

9. Assure and ensure

She assured them, that she would be all right — She assured them that everything would be fine with her.

But ensure is appropriate to use when we ourselves want to make sure of something.

Please ensure that all examination papers have your name at the top — Please ensure that your examination papers are signed.

10. Then and than

She trained as a teacher and then became a lawyer — She studied to be a teacher, but then became a lawyer.

Than is a preposition, it is used for comparison.

It cost less than I expected — It cost less than I thought.

11. Lose and loose

I hope he doesn’t lose his job — I hope he doesn’t lose his job.

And loose translates as «relaxed», «free», «loose».

A loose dress / sweater — loose dress / sweater.

12. A lot and the lot

I’ve got a lot to do this morning — I have a lot to do this morning.

At the same time, the lot is a British colloquial element, which means not just «a lot», but «everything.»

I made enough curry for three people and he ate the lot — I cooked curry for three, and he ate it all alone.

13. Amount and number

The project will take a huge amount of time and money — This project will take a huge amount of time and money.
A small number of children are educated at home — A small number of children study at home.

UPD. Updated on October 25, 2019.

Source: `https://lifehacker.ru/20-oshibok-v-anglijskom-yazyke-kotorye-delaet-kazhdyj-iz-nas/`

13 Difficulties in English and How to Avoid Them

Incorrect use of apostrophes

Example: «The girl’s horse» — the horse belongs to the girl.

To indicate that an object belongs to several persons, the apostrophe must be placed after the end of «-s».

Example: «The girls’ horse» — the horse belongs to girls.

Your or you’re

“Your” is used when an object belongs to you.

Example: «Today is your lucky day» — Today is your lucky day.

“You’re” is used only as a shorthand for “you are”: pronoun “you” + verb “are”.

Example: “You’re beautiful” — You are beautiful.

There, their and they’re

“Their” indicates that the object belongs to others.

Example: «Can we use their boat?» — Can we use their boat?

“They’re” is a shorthand for “they are”: the pronoun “they” + the verb “are”.

Example: «They’re going to be here soon» — They will be here soon.

Fewer or less

“Fewer” is used with countable nouns, that is, words that can be counted: cake, piece, grains of sand.

Example: «Fewer grains of sand» — Fewer grains of sand.

“Less” is used with uncountable nouns, that is, those that cannot be counted: coffee, water, sand.

Example: «Less sand» — less sand.

Amount or number

The same rule applies here as in the previous example. “Number” is used with countable nouns: birds, tables, chairs.

Example: «A greater number of people» — More and more people.

“Amount” is used with uncountable nouns: water, sugar, sand.

Example: «A larger amount of water» — More water.

To, two and too

The words sound identical, which is confusing for English learners. By ear, you can distinguish them by understanding other words from the context and the general meaning of the statements.

“To” is the particle that is used to form the initial form of the verb: “to talk” — to speak. “To” is also used to mean “towards something”.

Example: «I’m going to town» — I’m going to town.

“Too” means “too”, “also”, “too”.

Example: «I’m too hot» — I’m too hot.

“Two” means “two”.

Example: «He bought two cakes» — He bought two cakes.

Then or than

“Then” and “than” are often confused not only because they sound similar, but also because they are written almost the same.

“Than” is used when we want to compare two objects.

Example: This dress is more beautiful than that one — This dress is more beautiful than that.

“Then” is used to indicate an event that will follow another, such as when making a plan or schedule.

Example: We’ll go to the cinema and then to the cafe — We will go to the cinema and then to the cafe.

Me, myself, I

To check which pronoun you need at the moment, “me” or “I”, remove the name of the person you are talking about and see which pronoun sounds more correct.

In the sentence “John and I are off to the circus” — “John and I are going to the circus” you are not only talking about yourself, so it is better to use the pronoun “I”.

«Me» can only be used when you talk about yourself as an object, that is, when an action is directed at you. Also, «me» is placed after the preposition, that is, you cannot say «with I», we say «with me».

Use the pronoun “myself” if you have already used the pronoun “I” or if you want to emphasize that you are doing an action on your own or in relation to only yourself.

Who or whom

Another tricky moment for people learning English.

“Who” refers to the one who performs the action.

Example: “Who did this? He did ”- Who did it? — He did it.

Whereas “whom” is used to refer to the object to which the action is directed.

Example: “Whom should I invite? Invite him ”. Who should I invite? — Invite him.

Who and that

Often, English learners use “that” instead of “who” or “whom,” which is incorrect. You cannot use “that” when you are talking about a person.

Example: “He was the only person who wanted to come” — He was the only one who wanted to come.

Affect or effect

The words are easy to get confused because they sound and spelled almost the same. But there is a simple rule to help you remember the difference between the two.

Example: “They were directly affected by the flooding” — The flood directly affected them.

Example: “He waited for the medicine to have an effect” — He expected the drug to be effective.

Ie or Eg

English learners often do not know the decoding of these abbreviations, so they use them incorrectly when writing.

Ie means “that is” or “in other words”, comes from the Latin expression “id est”.

Example: «He objects to the changes — ie he won’t be accepting them» — He objects to the changes, that is, he won’t accept them.

Eg means “for example,” comes from the Latin expression “exempli gratia”.

Example: “He d many different cheeses, eg cheddar, camembert and brie” — He liked many different cheeses, eg cheddar, camembert and brie.

Use these abbreviations only in informal correspondence. In official documents, it is better to write their values in expanded form: “for example” and “that is”.

Its or it’s

We wrote above that apostrophes are used to indicate that something belongs to someone or something, but there is an exception to the rule — the pronoun “it”.

“It’s” is used only as a shorthand for “it is” or “it has”. Example: “It’s snowing outside” — It is snowing outside.

“Its” denotes the belonging of an object to an inanimate object, animal or plant. As with “his” and “hers,” there is no apostrophe here.

Example: «The sofa looks great with its new cover» — The sofa looks great with its new cover.

We hope that this article has explained some of the difficulties of the English language and will serve you as an assistant in learning it!

Source: https://blog.teachmeplease.ru/posts/13-trudnostey-angliyskogo-yazyka

What is the difference between fewer and less. example sentences ca little. use of few, a few, little, a little

Use few

Pronunciation and translation:
Few / [fyu] — little

Meaning of the word:
Small amount

Few is used with (people, chairs, flowers, apples).

This word is used to emphasize a small amount of something or someone. That is, we say that we have not enough of something or someonefor a specific business.

Few has a negative meaning, we say that something is not enough and we regret it. For example, she had littleacquaintances in this city, that is, she lacked communication and was lonely.

This country has few natural resources.
This country has little natural resources.

Few politicians admit their mistakes.
Little politicians admit their mistakes.

Little

Pronunciation and translation:
Little [? L? Tl] / [little] — little

Meaning of the word:
Small amount

Little we use with items that we cannot count(time, money, water, sugar, salt).

This word has the same meaning as few, says that something or someone is not enough for some purpose. And a person is upset by such a small amount.

For example, he has little money, that is, he does not have enough money to buy groceries.

Addicting a few

Pronunciation and translation:
A few [? fju?] / [e fyu] — several

Meaning of the word:
A small amount of

A few, just like few is used with items that we can count.

For example, she had someacquaintances in this city, that is, she had someone to spend time with, this number of acquaintances was quite enough.

I have got a few suggestions.
I have some offers.

Source: https://draftee.ru/v-chem-raznica-mezhdu-fewer-i-less-primery-predlozhenii-c-a-little-upotreblenie-few-a-few/

Using less and fewer. Use of the words much, many, few, little, a lot of and plenty of

Scheme of using quantifiers:

1. Little — few quantifiers

We use «a little»With uncountable nouns, for example: I have some money. This means: a certain amount, not a lot.

We use «a few»With countable plural nouns, for example:

I know a few words of French. This means: a certain amount, not a lot.

We can use «little» and «few» without «a«, But in this case it means» almost no «or» almost nothing «, for example: We must hurry, we have little time.

His English is very good and he makes few mistakes.

We can also say “very little» or «very few«(Very little), for example:

She is very thin because she eats very little. I made very few mistakes in the test.

And here are some more examples using «a little» and «a few«:

I hope you think these sentences will ensure that you will make very few mistakes when speaking English.

2. Quantifiers much — many — a lot of

USING much, many, a lot of. We use much with uncountable nouns, for example: a lot of time, a lot of coffee, a lot of money, a lot of sugar.

We use many with countable nouns, for example: many books, many months, many years, many friends.

We use a lot of both uncountable and countable nouns, for example: a lot of friends, a lot of sugar, a lot of photos, a lot of time. However, it is important to note that:

1. We use a lot of mostly in positive sentences, for example: I drink a lot of tea. She carries many books.

3. We can use lots of instead a lot of before countable nouns, for example: She has many friends.

4. We can use a lot without the noun and in this case we use it without a particle offor example: I ate a lot yesterday.

5. Sometimes much и a lot mean often, for example: Do you often go to the movies? — Not, no so much. Yes, I love movies; I go to the movies often.

What about you: have you read a lot of English books?

3. Quantifiers some — any

And here are some more examples of use Any и some: There is some oil in the refrigerator, but no milk at all. Are there eggs? — No, there are no eggs left. There are some pictures on the wall.

They didn’t make a single mistake. And what about you? Have you made mistakes? I hope you haven’t made any mistakes.

Few / few

So, in English we use the word «few» when we mean extremely small the amount of something or the absence of something at all.

The word is translated as «very little«, I.e. «Not enough» at all. We use it, as a rule, when we are dealing with countable plural nouns, those objects and things that can be counted.

Few
Very little James’s family members leave Pittsburgh and move to New York every year.

In the above sentence, we used “few” to indicate that only two or three family members leave the city, most of the relatives remain in place.

However, if we used “a few«, Then the meaning would change:

A few members of James «family leave Pittsburgh and move to NY each year.
Some(a small number) of James’s family members leave Pittsburgh and move to New York every year.

An exception to the use of «a few» is the expression «quite a few«-«quite a bit of«,» A decent number «,» a lot. «

little / a little

In the first example, we say that we have a little time to prepare, but this time is still enough. In the second, we mean that there is time, but it is not enough to prepare thoroughly.

For a better understanding, you can compare these words with a glass of water.

If you need to focus on the fact that the glass is half full, then we say “littlewater ”(a little water, but enough in a glass).

If you want to emphasize that the glass is half empty, then “a little water ”(there is little water and not enough water in the glass).

Small

The adjective «small» translates as «small»/«small»/«небольшой«And is used when this is aboutthe size of

Source: https://chaos-heart.ru/upotreblenie-less-i-fewer-ispolzovanie-slov-much-many-few-little-a-lot-of-i-plenty.html

The use of much, many, few, little, a lot of, plenty

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This article will show you when and where to use much, many, few, little, a lot of, plenty of in English.

The noun plays a key role in the choice of the defining word. The determiner depends on which noun is in front of us, countable (countable) or uncountable (uncountable). Once again, we recall that we can count countable nouns and they have a plural form (a boy — boys). And uncountable nouns do not have a plural form (water — some water), and we cannot count them.

We have divided all words into three groups depending on which noun they are used with. We will consider each group separately.

Much / Little Many / Few A lot of / Plenty of

Uncountable nouns	Countable nouns	Countable and uncountable nouns
How much money have you got? — How much money do you have? — There is little ink left in my pen.	I have many friends. — He has got few friends. — He has few friends.	There is a lot of sugar there. — There are plenty of plants in the garden. — There are many plants in the garden.

Many, few, a few with countable nouns

The opposite of many is few: few apples, few friends, few ideas. Few often have a negative meaning: very little, not enough, so little that practically none.

A few has an intermediate meaning between many and few, translated as «a few»: a few apples (a few apples), a few friends (a few friends), a few ideas (a few ideas).

Much, little, a little with uncountable nouns

Much stands for a large amount of something uncountable: much sugar, much milk, much time.

The opposite of much is little: little sugar, little milk, little time. Little, like few, means that something is not enough, very little.

A little means a small amount of something that cannot be counted: a little sugar, a little milk, a little time.

A lot of, plenty of — universal words

The words a lot of (many) and plenty of (many) are the most «convenient»: we can use them with both countable nouns and uncountable ones.

We bought lots of souvenirs and plenty of tea when we were on vacation in Sri Lanka. — We bought lot souvenirs and lots of tea when we were on vacation in Sri Lanka.

Features and exceptions

Much, many, few, little, a lot of with uncountable nouns
There are a number of nouns that seem to be countable, but in fact are not. Sometimes it can be difficult to determine the «countability» of a noun.

If you are not sure which noun is in front of you, it is better to check it in the dictionary.

Please note that in English, uncountable includes advice, news, work, money, research, travel, furniture.

They have much work to do. — They have lot work.

Source: https://engblog.ru/much-many-few-little-a-lot-of-plenty-usage

Less / Fewer

«Less» and «fewer»Both words indicate quantitative indicators. «Less«- the comparative form of the word»little«, but «fewer«Is the comparative form»few».

Little [ˈLɪtəl] — a little, a little.
Few [fju] — a little, a little.

we have less milk than I’d hoped. — We have less milk than I had hoped.
There are fewer people than I expected. — Of people lessthan I expected.

Less

We use «less«With uncountable nouns such as: Pollution (pollution), traffic (traffic), News (news), freedom (freedom).

there is less traffic and less pollution. — There less traffic and less pollution.
We’ve been receiving a lot less news since we switched TV providers. — We get much less news since we changed TV providers.
In more conservative societies, women have less freedom than they do here. — In more conservative societies, women have less freedom than here.

fewer

We use «fewer«With quantifiable nouns such as: restaurants (restaurants), cafes (Cafe), people (people), bags (bags).

There are fewer restaurants and fewer cafes. — Here less restaurants and cafes.
Fewer people came to the opening than we had expected! — It came to the opening less people than we expected!
There are new pills with fewer side effects. — There are new drugs with smaller the number of side effects.

An exception

When we talk about measurements of time, distance, weight and money, we use “less«.

It is less than six hours until my essay is due. — Until the delivery of the essay is left less six hours.
i live less than fifty miles from London. “I live less than fifty miles from London.

More articles about English

Source: https://english5minutes.ru/less-fewer/

Difference in the use of less and fewer in English

Why is it so easy to get confused when using «less» and «fewer» — two pointers to many English languages?

Difference between less and fewer in English

fewer

This is the comparative form of the demonstrative pronoun «few«- few; little, little. Used before countable nouns when indicating the reduction of the number of objects (elements).

Countable nouns are objects and concepts, the number of which can be counted. It is expressed in pieces, units (pieces, bottles, packs, boxes) and has the plural:

3 packets of yeast;
2 watermelons;
8 eggs;
6 tomatoes.

An amazing selection of products for a wonderful dinner.

Fewer people today carry cash. — Fewer people nowadays carry cash with them.

Less

This is the comparative form of the adverb «little«- a little, a little.

Used by:

when indicating a reduction in the number of items;
before uncountable nouns in the singular.

Uncountable nouns are objects and concepts, the number of which cannot be counted. It is expressed in terms of mass, volume, but in some cases it does not have a clear definition at all:

liquids: water (water), milk (milk), oil (oil), beer (beer);
products: cheese, bread, meat;
gaseous substances: smoke (smoke), air (air), oxygen (oxygen), hydrogen (hydrogen), nitrogen (nitrogen);
substances consisting of many small particles: flour (flour), rice (rice), dust (dust), ash (dust, ash, ash);
natural phenomena: snow (snow), light (light), rain (rain), wind (wind), fog (fog), heat (heat);
abstractions: happiness, health, education, space, work, energy, truth.

there is less privacy today because of social media. — Due to the proliferation of social networks, there is less privacy in our lives today.

Less and fewer in life

In everyday life in the United States, the word «less» is regularly misused. It applies not only to uncountable, but also countable nouns.

And this way you get more debt. So more debt and less work. Mitt Romney

The candidate made a reservation and used «less jobs» instead of «fewer jobs «(Less work, jobs).

Similarities between less and fewer

Less and fewer with of

It is necessary to substitute the preposition “of«Before defining words:

articles (a / an, the);
pronouns (him, it);
demonstrative pronouns (this, that);
possessive pronouns (my, her, our).

I have to spend less of my time playing computer games. — I should spend less time playing computer games.

Less without a noun

The noun after «less» or «fewer» can be omitted if it is clear what is meant.

— You bought 10 bottles of juice. — You bought 10 bottles of juice.

— No way! I am sure I bought fewer… — Can not be! I’m sure I bought less.

Use cases for less and fewer

Less, fewer and weight

The whole can also be calculated using grams, kilograms, but the habit is second nature and it tells native English speakers to use “less«Instead of» fewer «.

My weight was less than 8 pounds at birth. — At birth, my weight was less than 8 pounds.

Less, fewer and money

I have less than 50 bucks left in my account. — I have less than $ 50 left in my account.

You can still say — fewer than 50 bucks, but it will sound strange and unexpected to those around you.

Less, fewer and percent

Determining the right word for percentages can be problematic. To do this, you need to evaluate the whole picture and ask yourself «Is it possible to calculate what we are describing?»

Fewer than 13 percent of the US citizens have black skin. — Less than 13% of the US population is black.

Counting all citizens with a dark skin color is difficult, but doable. This means 13% is a calculated value.

On the other hand, it is impossible to count the unfinished juice.

It has left less than 30 percent juice in the pack. — The package contains less than 30% of the juice.

Less, fewer and time

It will also be common to use «less«When mentioning the time. We can count the time in seconds, minutes, hours, etc., but sentences are still built with «less».

I think they could spend less time at work. — I think they could spend less time at work.

I think they could spend fewer hours at work. — I think they could spend less hours at work.

Less or Fewer? — Short video tutorial

English subtitles are available in the video.

Less & Fewer.

Source: https://englishboost.ru/less-fewer-raznitsa/

«Little» in English

How do you say «little» in English? Find out in this article!

Source: https://enjoyenglish-blog.com/razgovornyj-anglijskij/malo-na-anglijskom.html

13 mistakes in English that each of us makes — News All Kharkiv

It doesn’t matter what level you have. Even native speakers are sometimes confused in these words.

1. Lay and lie

I love to lie down in front of the fire and read — I like to lie near the fireplace with a book.

But lie is an irregular verb, in the past tense it turns into lay.

The town lay in ruins — The town lay in ruins.

And this form is written and pronounced in the same way as an independent verb to lay. The main meaning of which is “to put”.

She laid the baby on the bed — She laid the baby on the bed.

In a word, the confusion, of course, is utter, but if you look deeply into it and remember it once, it will be much easier to avoid mistakes.

2. Continual and continuous

These words can be called paronyms: they are spelled almost the same, but differ in meaning. Continual applies to repeated actions or events.

I’m sorry, I can’t work with these continual interruptions — Sorry, but I can’t work like that, I’m constantly interrupted.

Continuous, on the other hand, is about something that lasts continuously.

He spoke continuously for more than two hours — He spoke without stopping for more than two hours.

3. Envy and jealous

Even philologists cannot always explain the difference between these words clearly. Dictionaries say that jealous is primarily about jealousy.

In a moment of jealous frenzy, she cut the sleeves off all his shirts — In a fit of jealousy, she shredded the sleeves of his shirts.

But the word also has a second meaning: “annoyance that someone has what you yourself would like”. In other words, envy. The second word, envy, is also translated as “envy”.

He had always been very jealous of his brother’s success — He was always very jealous of his brother’s success.
Some of his colleagues envy the enormous wealth that he has amassed — Some of his colleagues envy his enormous wealth.

4. Fewer and less

Less is used when we talk about something abstract and uncountable, or we don’t mention the exact amount.

I eat less chocolate and fewer biscuits than I used to — I eat less chocolate and fewer biscuits than usual.
We must try to spend less money — We must try to spend less money.

Few and fewer can be safely used when talking about specific numbers or something that can be accurately calculated.

Fewer than 3,500 tigers are left in the wild today — No more than three and a half thousand tigers live in the wild today.
We received far fewer complaints than expected — We received far fewer complaints than expected.

5. Disinterested and uninterested

A disinterested observer / judgment

If we are talking about disinterest and indifference, it would be more correct to use the option uninterested.

He’s completely uninterested in sports — He’s completely uninterested in sports.

True, not all linguists are united on this issue. The compilers of the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, for example, believe that these words can be synonymous.

6. Anxious and excited

It’s natural that you should feel anxious when you first leave home — It’s natural to be anxious when you first leave home.

I’m anxious to get home to open my presents — I can’t wait to come home as soon as possible and open the presents.

7. Affect and effect

To deal with this dilemma, a simple hint can be used. Affect is almost always a verb, effect is a noun. Affect can be translated as «to influence, cause, lead to something.»

Factors that affect sleep include stress and many medical conditions — Causes that affect sleep include stress and various medical conditions.

Effect is, in fact, the effect or the result of some processes or events.

I’m suffering from the effects of too little sleep — I suffer from the effects of lack of sleep.

8. Among and between

Words are similar in meaning, but still not synonymous. Between translates as «between».

A narrow path runs between the two houses — A narrow path runs between the two houses.
The shop is closed for lunch between 12.30 and 1.30 — The shop is closed for lunch from half past twelve to half past one.

Among rather means «among», «one of».

The decision will not be popular among students — This decision will not be popular among students.
She divided the cake among the children — She divided the cake among the children.

If we are talking about specific people or objects, it is more appropriate to speak between, and if it is about indefinite or generalized — among.

9. Assure and ensure

She assured them, that she would be all right — She assured them that everything would be fine with her.

But ensure is appropriate to use when we ourselves want to make sure of something.

Please ensure that all examination papers have your name at the top — Please ensure that your examination papers are signed.

10. Then and than

She trained as a teacher and then became a lawyer — She studied to be a teacher, but then became a lawyer.

Than is a preposition, it is used for comparison.

It cost less than I expected — It cost less than I thought.

11. Lose and loose

I hope he doesn’t lose his job — I hope he doesn’t lose his job.

And loose translates as «relaxed», «free», «loose».

A loose dress / sweater — loose dress / sweater.

12. A lot and the lot

I’ve got a lot to do this morning — I have a lot to do this morning.

At the same time, the lot is a British colloquial element, which means not just «a lot», but «everything.»

I made enough curry for three people and he ate the lot — I cooked curry for three, and he ate it all alone.

13. Amount and number

What is the difference between fewer and less? — everything is simple

Rules of Use

For nouns that have both singular and plural, as well as when a noun / pronoun is only thought of, its presence becomes apparent from the context, the pronouns few / a few are used.

In this case, it does not matter at all how the noun forms its plural — for all these cases, the rule will act the same.

For example:

She went to the USA for a few months… — She went to America for several months.

Few of her friends had been in the USA… — Few of her friends were in America.

Example:

She stood in the USA a little last year… — Last year she spent a little time in America.

When she first came to the USA, she little thought that she would stay there so long. — When she first arrived in America, she never thought that she would stay there for so long.

Pronoun meaning (word translation)

As we noted, the pronouns few, little, a few, and a little are used to indicate not enough of something. The difference between them appears only in the context of their use with nouns.

So, few / a few is used with countable nouns, and little / a little — with those that have only a singular, or only a plural.

However, there are still some differences in meanings, which depend on the form in which the pronoun is used, and create some difference in translation.

Moreover, in the first case, the sentence will most likely contain a somewhat negative connotation, in the second — neutral:

I can’t help you. I speak very little English… — I cannot help you, I know very little English.

I can help you, I speak a little English… — I can help you, I speak a little English.

It would seem that in both cases the first part of the sentence implies the same thing — I do not speak English very well, my knowledge is hardly enough.

His English is intermediate, he forgets about his lessons. He has very little interest in languages… — His English is not above average, he forgets about his lessons. He has no interest in languages at all.
His English is intermediate, he coaches in it every weekends. He has a little interest in language. — His English is intermediate and he trains him every weekend. He has little interest in languages.
I didn’t read this book in original, I can say very little about it… — I have not read this book in the original, I can say very little about it.
I didn’t read this book in original, I can say a little about it… — I have not read this book in the original, but I can tell you a little about it.
Very few of his friends can speak English… — Almost none of his friends speak English.
A few of his friends can speak in English not bad at all. “Some of his friends don’t speak English bad at all.

Comparative and superlative

Like adjectives, quantitative pronouns in English can create degrees of comparison.

The pronouns few / a few form comparative and superlatives according to all the rules of the English language.

In the case of the pronouns little / a little, the situation is different:

few ⇒ fewer ⇒ the fewis — few ⇒ less ⇒ least
little ⇒ less ⇒ the least — little ⇒ less ⇒ least
a few / a little ⇒ more ⇒ the most — a little ⇒ more ⇒ most

Source: https://vseprostdo.ru/v-chem-raznica-mezhdu-fewer-i-less.html

What is the difference between fewer and less. use of the words much, many, few, little, a lot of and plenty of

So, in English we use the word «few» when we mean extremely small the amount of something or the absence of something at all.

The word is translated as «very little«, I.e. «Not enough» at all. We use it, as a rule, when we are dealing with countable plural nouns, those objects and things that can be counted.

Few
Very little James’s family members leave Pittsburgh and move to New York every year.

In the above sentence, we used “few” to indicate that only two or three family members leave the city, most of the relatives remain in place.

However, if we used “a few«, Then the meaning would change:

A few members of James «family leave Pittsburgh and move to NY each year.
Some(a small number) of James’s family members leave Pittsburgh and move to New York every year.

An exception to the use of «a few» is the expression «quite a few«-«quite a bit of«,» A decent number «,» a lot. «

little / a little

In the first example, we say that we have a little time to prepare, but this time is still enough. In the second, we mean that there is time, but it is not enough to prepare thoroughly.

For a better understanding, you can compare these words with a glass of water.

If you need to focus on the fact that the glass is half full, then we say “littlewater ”(a little water, but enough in a glass).

If you want to emphasize that the glass is half empty, then “a little water ”(there is little water and not enough water in the glass).

Small

The adjective «small» translates as «small»/«small»/«небольшой«And is used when this is aboutthe size of

Source: https://film05.ru/bathroom/v-chem-raznica-mezhdu-fewer-i-less-ispolzovanie-slov-much-many-few-little-a-lot-of-i-plenty.html

Countable and uncountable nouns — video tutorial

That’s a lot of butter! — How much oil is there

Finding hundreds of pencils in a desk drawer, you say no Wow! That’s a lot of pencil !, a

That’s a lot of pencils! — Wow, how many pencils!

Uncountable nouns

They can be counted only in 3 cases:

— in the limitation of stick meters

a stick of butter — a pack of butter

— to distinguish between subspecies

3 butters — lime butter, pepper butter, chilly butter — 3 types of butter — lime, pepper, chili

— to mark packages in catering

Waiter, we need some more butters here — Waiter, more packs of butter here

Countable nouns

Countable nouns in English are subject-matter — they can always be counted, put in the plural, and numbered.

5 pencils — 5 pencils

2 cars — 2 cars

7 people — 7 people

3 children — 3 children

Quantitative nouns

There are quantitative nouns and pronouns that are combined with only 1 of 2 classes. So, an amount of requires an uncountable noun, and number of requires a countable noun.

a number of cows — several cows

less applause — less applause

less than 10 dollars — less than 10 dollars

In some illiterate supermarkets, you can see the inscription Less than 10 items express checkout. That’s right

Fewer than 10 items — Up to 10 purchases

Fun Facts

Dandelion root can be roasted and ground as a coffee substitute.

Source: https://www.lovelylanguage.ru/grammar/video-lessons/count-and-mass-nouns

13 mistakes in English that each of us makes

I love to lie down in front of the fire and read — I like to lie near the fireplace with a book.

But lie is an irregular verb, in the past tense it turns into lay.

The town lay in ruins — The town lay in ruins.

And this form is written and pronounced in the same way as an independent verb to lay. The main meaning of which is «to put».

She laid the baby on the bed — She laid the baby on the bed.

In a word, the confusion, of course, is utter, but if you look deeply into it and remember it once, it will be much easier to avoid mistakes.

2. Continual and continuous

These words can be called paronyms: they are spelled almost the same, but differ in meaning. Continual applies to repeated actions or events.

I’m sorry, I can’t work with these continual interruptions — Sorry, but I can’t work like that, I’m constantly interrupted.

But continuous is about something that lasts continuously.

He spoke continuously for more than two hours — He spoke without stopping for more than two hours.

3. Envy and jealous

Even philologists cannot always explain the difference between these words clearly. Dictionaries say that jealous is primarily about jealousy.

In a moment of jealous frenzy, she cut the sleeves off all his shirts — In a fit of jealousy, she shredded the sleeves of his shirts.

But the word has a second meaning: «annoyance because someone has what you yourself would like.» In other words, envy. It is how “envy” translates the second word, envy.

He had always been very jealous of his brother’s success — He was always very jealous of his brother’s success.
Some of his colleagues envy the enormous wealth that he has amassed — Some of his colleagues envy his enormous wealth.

4. Fewer and less

Less is used when we are talking about something abstract and uncountable, or when we don’t mention the exact amount.

I eat less chocolate and fewer biscuits than I used to — I eat less chocolate and fewer biscuits than usual.
We must try to spend less money — We must try to spend less money.

Few and fewer can be safely used when talking about specific numbers or something that can be accurately calculated.

Fewer than 3,500 tigers are left in the wild today — No more than three and a half thousand tigers live in the wild today.
We received far fewer complaints than expected — We received far fewer complaints than expected.

5. Disinterested and uninterested

It seems that both prefixes — dis- and un- — denote negation. And if so, then the meaning of the words is the same. But no. Disinterested translates to impartial.

A disinterested observer / judgment

If we are talking about disinterest and indifference, it would be more correct to use the option uninterested.

He’s completely uninterested in sports — He’s completely uninterested in sports.

True, not all linguists are united on this issue. The compilers of the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, for example, believe that these words can be synonymous.

6. Anxious and excited

It’s natural that you should feel anxious when you first leave home — It’s natural to be anxious when you first leave home.

I’m anxious to get home to open my presents — I can’t wait to come home as soon as possible and open the presents.

7. Affect and effect

To deal with this dilemma, a simple hint can be used. Affect is almost always a verb, effect is a noun. Affect can be translated as «influence, cause, lead to something.»

Factors that affect sleep include stress and many medical conditions — Causes that affect sleep include stress and various medical conditions.

Effect is, in fact, the effect or the result of some processes or events.

I’m suffering from the effects of too little sleep — I suffer from the effects of lack of sleep.

8. Among and between

Words are similar in meaning, but still not synonymous. Between translates as «between».

A narrow path runs between the two houses — A narrow path runs between the two houses.
The shop is closed for lunch between 12.30 and 1.30 — The shop is closed for lunch from half past twelve to half past one.

Among rather means «among», «one of».

The decision will not be popular among students — This decision will not be popular among students.
She divided the cake among the children — She divided the cake between the children.

If we are talking about specific people or objects, it is more appropriate to speak between, and if it is about indefinite or generalized — among.

9. Assure and ensure

She assured them, that she would be all right — She assured them that everything would be fine with her.

But ensure is appropriate to use when we ourselves want to make sure of something.

Please ensure that all examination papers have your name at the top — Please ensure that your examination papers are signed.

10. Then and than

She trained as a teacher and then became a lawyer — She studied to be a teacher, but then became a lawyer.

Than is a preposition, it is used for comparison.

It cost less than I expected — It cost less than I thought.

11. Lose and loose

I hope he doesn’t lose his job — I hope he doesn’t lose his job.

And loose translates as «relaxed», «free», «loose».

A loose dress / sweater — loose dress / sweater.

12. A lot and the lot

I’ve got a lot to do this morning — I have a lot to do this morning.

At the same time, the lot is a British colloquial element, which means not just «a lot», but «everything.»

I made enough curry for three people and he ate the lot — I cooked curry for three, and he ate it all alone.

13. Amount and number

The project will take a huge amount of time and money — This project will take a huge amount of time and money.
A small number of children are educated at home — A small number of children study at home.

UPD. Updated on October 25, 2019.

Source: `https://lifehacker.ru/20-oshibok-v-anglijskom-yazyke-kotorye-delaet-kazhdyj-iz-nas/`

13 Difficulties in English and How to Avoid Them

Incorrect use of apostrophes

Example: «The girl’s horse» — the horse belongs to the girl.

To indicate that an object belongs to several persons, the apostrophe must be placed after the end of «-s».

Example: «The girls’ horse» — the horse belongs to girls.

Your or you’re

“Your” is used when an object belongs to you.

Example: «Today is your lucky day» — Today is your lucky day.

“You’re” is used only as a shorthand for “you are”: pronoun “you” + verb “are”.

Example: “You’re beautiful” — You are beautiful.

There, their and they’re

“Their” indicates that the object belongs to others.

Example: «Can we use their boat?» — Can we use their boat?

“They’re” is a shorthand for “they are”: the pronoun “they” + the verb “are”.

Example: «They’re going to be here soon» — They will be here soon.

Fewer or less

“Fewer” is used with countable nouns, that is, words that can be counted: cake, piece, grains of sand.

Example: «Fewer grains of sand» — Fewer grains of sand.

“Less” is used with uncountable nouns, that is, those that cannot be counted: coffee, water, sand.

Example: «Less sand» — less sand.

Amount or number

The same rule applies here as in the previous example. “Number” is used with countable nouns: birds, tables, chairs.

Example: «A greater number of people» — More and more people.

“Amount” is used with uncountable nouns: water, sugar, sand.

Example: «A larger amount of water» — More water.

To, two and too

The words sound identical, which is confusing for English learners. By ear, you can distinguish them by understanding other words from the context and the general meaning of the statements.

“To” is the particle that is used to form the initial form of the verb: “to talk” — to speak. “To” is also used to mean “towards something”.

Example: «I’m going to town» — I’m going to town.

“Too” means “too”, “also”, “too”.

Example: «I’m too hot» — I’m too hot.

“Two” means “two”.

Example: «He bought two cakes» — He bought two cakes.

Then or than

“Then” and “than” are often confused not only because they sound similar, but also because they are written almost the same.

“Than” is used when we want to compare two objects.

Example: This dress is more beautiful than that one — This dress is more beautiful than that.

“Then” is used to indicate an event that will follow another, such as when making a plan or schedule.

Example: We’ll go to the cinema and then to the cafe — We will go to the cinema and then to the cafe.

Me, myself, I

To check which pronoun you need at the moment, “me” or “I”, remove the name of the person you are talking about and see which pronoun sounds more correct.

In the sentence “John and I are off to the circus” — “John and I are going to the circus” you are not only talking about yourself, so it is better to use the pronoun “I”.

«Me» can only be used when you talk about yourself as an object, that is, when an action is directed at you. Also, «me» is placed after the preposition, that is, you cannot say «with I», we say «with me».

Use the pronoun “myself” if you have already used the pronoun “I” or if you want to emphasize that you are doing an action on your own or in relation to only yourself.

Who or whom

Another tricky moment for people learning English.

“Who” refers to the one who performs the action.

Example: “Who did this? He did ”- Who did it? — He did it.

Whereas “whom” is used to refer to the object to which the action is directed.

Example: “Whom should I invite? Invite him ”. Who should I invite? — Invite him.

Who and that

Often, English learners use “that” instead of “who” or “whom,” which is incorrect. You cannot use “that” when you are talking about a person.

Example: “He was the only person who wanted to come” — He was the only one who wanted to come.

Affect or effect

The words are easy to get confused because they sound and spelled almost the same. But there is a simple rule to help you remember the difference between the two.

Example: “They were directly affected by the flooding” — The flood directly affected them.

Example: “He waited for the medicine to have an effect” — He expected the drug to be effective.

Ie or Eg

English learners often do not know the decoding of these abbreviations, so they use them incorrectly when writing.

Ie means “that is” or “in other words”, comes from the Latin expression “id est”.

Example: «He objects to the changes — ie he won’t be accepting them» — He objects to the changes, that is, he won’t accept them.

Eg means “for example,” comes from the Latin expression “exempli gratia”.

Example: “He d many different cheeses, eg cheddar, camembert and brie” — He liked many different cheeses, eg cheddar, camembert and brie.

Use these abbreviations only in informal correspondence. In official documents, it is better to write their values in expanded form: “for example” and “that is”.

Its or it’s

We wrote above that apostrophes are used to indicate that something belongs to someone or something, but there is an exception to the rule — the pronoun “it”.

“It’s” is used only as a shorthand for “it is” or “it has”. Example: “It’s snowing outside” — It is snowing outside.

“Its” denotes the belonging of an object to an inanimate object, animal or plant. As with “his” and “hers,” there is no apostrophe here.

Example: «The sofa looks great with its new cover» — The sofa looks great with its new cover.

We hope that this article has explained some of the difficulties of the English language and will serve you as an assistant in learning it!

Source: https://blog.teachmeplease.ru/posts/13-trudnostey-angliyskogo-yazyka

What is the difference between fewer and less. example sentences ca little. use of few, a few, little, a little

Use few

Pronunciation and translation:
Few / [fyu] — little

Meaning of the word:
Small amount

Few is used with (people, chairs, flowers, apples).

This word is used to emphasize a small amount of something or someone. That is, we say that we have not enough of something or someonefor a specific business.

Few has a negative meaning, we say that something is not enough and we regret it. For example, she had littleacquaintances in this city, that is, she lacked communication and was lonely.

This country has few natural resources.
This country has little natural resources.

Few politicians admit their mistakes.
Little politicians admit their mistakes.

Little

Pronunciation and translation:
Little [? L? Tl] / [little] — little

Meaning of the word:
Small amount

Little we use with items that we cannot count(time, money, water, sugar, salt).

This word has the same meaning as few, says that something or someone is not enough for some purpose. And a person is upset by such a small amount.

For example, he has little money, that is, he does not have enough money to buy groceries.

Addicting a few

Pronunciation and translation:
A few [? fju?] / [e fyu] — several

Meaning of the word:
A small amount of

A few, just like few is used with items that we can count.

For example, she had someacquaintances in this city, that is, she had someone to spend time with, this number of acquaintances was quite enough.

I have got a few suggestions.
I have some offers.

Source: https://draftee.ru/v-chem-raznica-mezhdu-fewer-i-less-primery-predlozhenii-c-a-little-upotreblenie-few-a-few/

Using less and fewer. Use of the words much, many, few, little, a lot of and plenty of

Scheme of using quantifiers:

1. Little — few quantifiers

We use «a little»With uncountable nouns, for example: I have some money. This means: a certain amount, not a lot.

We use «a few»With countable plural nouns, for example:

I know a few words of French. This means: a certain amount, not a lot.

We can use «little» and «few» without «a«, But in this case it means» almost no «or» almost nothing «, for example: We must hurry, we have little time.

His English is very good and he makes few mistakes.

We can also say “very little» or «very few«(Very little), for example:

She is very thin because she eats very little. I made very few mistakes in the test.

And here are some more examples using «a little» and «a few«:

I hope you think these sentences will ensure that you will make very few mistakes when speaking English.

2. Quantifiers much — many — a lot of

USING much, many, a lot of. We use much with uncountable nouns, for example: a lot of time, a lot of coffee, a lot of money, a lot of sugar.

We use many with countable nouns, for example: many books, many months, many years, many friends.

We use a lot of both uncountable and countable nouns, for example: a lot of friends, a lot of sugar, a lot of photos, a lot of time. However, it is important to note that:

1. We use a lot of mostly in positive sentences, for example: I drink a lot of tea. She carries many books.

3. We can use lots of instead a lot of before countable nouns, for example: She has many friends.

4. We can use a lot without the noun and in this case we use it without a particle offor example: I ate a lot yesterday.

5. Sometimes much и a lot mean often, for example: Do you often go to the movies? — Not, no so much. Yes, I love movies; I go to the movies often.

What about you: have you read a lot of English books?

3. Quantifiers some — any

And here are some more examples of use Any и some: There is some oil in the refrigerator, but no milk at all. Are there eggs? — No, there are no eggs left. There are some pictures on the wall.

They didn’t make a single mistake. And what about you? Have you made mistakes? I hope you haven’t made any mistakes.

Few / few

So, in English we use the word «few» when we mean extremely small the amount of something or the absence of something at all.

The word is translated as «very little«, I.e. «Not enough» at all. We use it, as a rule, when we are dealing with countable plural nouns, those objects and things that can be counted.

Few
Very little James’s family members leave Pittsburgh and move to New York every year.

In the above sentence, we used “few” to indicate that only two or three family members leave the city, most of the relatives remain in place.

However, if we used “a few«, Then the meaning would change:

A few members of James «family leave Pittsburgh and move to NY each year.
Some(a small number) of James’s family members leave Pittsburgh and move to New York every year.

An exception to the use of «a few» is the expression «quite a few«-«quite a bit of«,» A decent number «,» a lot. «

little / a little

In the first example, we say that we have a little time to prepare, but this time is still enough. In the second, we mean that there is time, but it is not enough to prepare thoroughly.

For a better understanding, you can compare these words with a glass of water.

If you need to focus on the fact that the glass is half full, then we say “littlewater ”(a little water, but enough in a glass).

If you want to emphasize that the glass is half empty, then “a little water ”(there is little water and not enough water in the glass).

Small

The adjective «small» translates as «small»/«small»/«небольшой«And is used when this is aboutthe size of

Source: https://chaos-heart.ru/upotreblenie-less-i-fewer-ispolzovanie-slov-much-many-few-little-a-lot-of-i-plenty.html

The use of much, many, few, little, a lot of, plenty

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This article will show you when and where to use much, many, few, little, a lot of, plenty of in English.

The noun plays a key role in the choice of the defining word. The determiner depends on which noun is in front of us, countable (countable) or uncountable (uncountable). Once again, we recall that we can count countable nouns and they have a plural form (a boy — boys). And uncountable nouns do not have a plural form (water — some water), and we cannot count them.

We have divided all words into three groups depending on which noun they are used with. We will consider each group separately.

Much / Little Many / Few A lot of / Plenty of

Uncountable nouns	Countable nouns	Countable and uncountable nouns
How much money have you got? — How much money do you have? — There is little ink left in my pen.	I have many friends. — He has got few friends. — He has few friends.	There is a lot of sugar there. — There are plenty of plants in the garden. — There are many plants in the garden.

Many, few, a few with countable nouns

The opposite of many is few: few apples, few friends, few ideas. Few often have a negative meaning: very little, not enough, so little that practically none.

A few has an intermediate meaning between many and few, translated as «a few»: a few apples (a few apples), a few friends (a few friends), a few ideas (a few ideas).

Much, little, a little with uncountable nouns

Much stands for a large amount of something uncountable: much sugar, much milk, much time.

The opposite of much is little: little sugar, little milk, little time. Little, like few, means that something is not enough, very little.

A little means a small amount of something that cannot be counted: a little sugar, a little milk, a little time.

A lot of, plenty of — universal words

The words a lot of (many) and plenty of (many) are the most «convenient»: we can use them with both countable nouns and uncountable ones.

We bought lots of souvenirs and plenty of tea when we were on vacation in Sri Lanka. — We bought lot souvenirs and lots of tea when we were on vacation in Sri Lanka.

Features and exceptions

Much, many, few, little, a lot of with uncountable nouns
There are a number of nouns that seem to be countable, but in fact are not. Sometimes it can be difficult to determine the «countability» of a noun.

If you are not sure which noun is in front of you, it is better to check it in the dictionary.

Please note that in English, uncountable includes advice, news, work, money, research, travel, furniture.

They have much work to do. — They have lot work.

Source: https://engblog.ru/much-many-few-little-a-lot-of-plenty-usage

Less / Fewer

«Less» and «fewer»Both words indicate quantitative indicators. «Less«- the comparative form of the word»little«, but «fewer«Is the comparative form»few».

Little [ˈLɪtəl] — a little, a little.
Few [fju] — a little, a little.

we have less milk than I’d hoped. — We have less milk than I had hoped.
There are fewer people than I expected. — Of people lessthan I expected.

Less

We use «less«With uncountable nouns such as: Pollution (pollution), traffic (traffic), News (news), freedom (freedom).

there is less traffic and less pollution. — There less traffic and less pollution.
We’ve been receiving a lot less news since we switched TV providers. — We get much less news since we changed TV providers.
In more conservative societies, women have less freedom than they do here. — In more conservative societies, women have less freedom than here.

fewer

We use «fewer«With quantifiable nouns such as: restaurants (restaurants), cafes (Cafe), people (people), bags (bags).

There are fewer restaurants and fewer cafes. — Here less restaurants and cafes.
Fewer people came to the opening than we had expected! — It came to the opening less people than we expected!
There are new pills with fewer side effects. — There are new drugs with smaller the number of side effects.

An exception

When we talk about measurements of time, distance, weight and money, we use “less«.

It is less than six hours until my essay is due. — Until the delivery of the essay is left less six hours.
i live less than fifty miles from London. “I live less than fifty miles from London.

More articles about English

Source: https://english5minutes.ru/less-fewer/

Difference in the use of less and fewer in English

Why is it so easy to get confused when using «less» and «fewer» — two pointers to many English languages?

Difference between less and fewer in English

fewer

This is the comparative form of the demonstrative pronoun «few«- few; little, little. Used before countable nouns when indicating the reduction of the number of objects (elements).

Countable nouns are objects and concepts, the number of which can be counted. It is expressed in pieces, units (pieces, bottles, packs, boxes) and has the plural:

3 packets of yeast;
2 watermelons;
8 eggs;
6 tomatoes.

An amazing selection of products for a wonderful dinner.

Fewer people today carry cash. — Fewer people nowadays carry cash with them.

Less

This is the comparative form of the adverb «little«- a little, a little.

Used by:

when indicating a reduction in the number of items;
before uncountable nouns in the singular.

Uncountable nouns are objects and concepts, the number of which cannot be counted. It is expressed in terms of mass, volume, but in some cases it does not have a clear definition at all:

liquids: water (water), milk (milk), oil (oil), beer (beer);
products: cheese, bread, meat;
gaseous substances: smoke (smoke), air (air), oxygen (oxygen), hydrogen (hydrogen), nitrogen (nitrogen);
substances consisting of many small particles: flour (flour), rice (rice), dust (dust), ash (dust, ash, ash);
natural phenomena: snow (snow), light (light), rain (rain), wind (wind), fog (fog), heat (heat);
abstractions: happiness, health, education, space, work, energy, truth.

there is less privacy today because of social media. — Due to the proliferation of social networks, there is less privacy in our lives today.

Less and fewer in life

In everyday life in the United States, the word «less» is regularly misused. It applies not only to uncountable, but also countable nouns.

And this way you get more debt. So more debt and less work. Mitt Romney

The candidate made a reservation and used «less jobs» instead of «fewer jobs «(Less work, jobs).

Similarities between less and fewer

Less and fewer with of

It is necessary to substitute the preposition “of«Before defining words:

articles (a / an, the);
pronouns (him, it);
demonstrative pronouns (this, that);
possessive pronouns (my, her, our).

I have to spend less of my time playing computer games. — I should spend less time playing computer games.

Less without a noun

The noun after «less» or «fewer» can be omitted if it is clear what is meant.

— You bought 10 bottles of juice. — You bought 10 bottles of juice.

— No way! I am sure I bought fewer… — Can not be! I’m sure I bought less.

Use cases for less and fewer

Less, fewer and weight

The whole can also be calculated using grams, kilograms, but the habit is second nature and it tells native English speakers to use “less«Instead of» fewer «.

My weight was less than 8 pounds at birth. — At birth, my weight was less than 8 pounds.

Less, fewer and money

I have less than 50 bucks left in my account. — I have less than $ 50 left in my account.

You can still say — fewer than 50 bucks, but it will sound strange and unexpected to those around you.

Less, fewer and percent

Determining the right word for percentages can be problematic. To do this, you need to evaluate the whole picture and ask yourself «Is it possible to calculate what we are describing?»

Fewer than 13 percent of the US citizens have black skin. — Less than 13% of the US population is black.

Counting all citizens with a dark skin color is difficult, but doable. This means 13% is a calculated value.

On the other hand, it is impossible to count the unfinished juice.

It has left less than 30 percent juice in the pack. — The package contains less than 30% of the juice.

Less, fewer and time

It will also be common to use «less«When mentioning the time. We can count the time in seconds, minutes, hours, etc., but sentences are still built with «less».

I think they could spend less time at work. — I think they could spend less time at work.

I think they could spend fewer hours at work. — I think they could spend less hours at work.

Less or Fewer? — Short video tutorial

English subtitles are available in the video.

Less & Fewer.

Source: https://englishboost.ru/less-fewer-raznitsa/

«Little» in English

How do you say «little» in English? Find out in this article!

Source: https://enjoyenglish-blog.com/razgovornyj-anglijskij/malo-na-anglijskom.html

13 mistakes in English that each of us makes — News All Kharkiv

It doesn’t matter what level you have. Even native speakers are sometimes confused in these words.

1. Lay and lie

I love to lie down in front of the fire and read — I like to lie near the fireplace with a book.

But lie is an irregular verb, in the past tense it turns into lay.

The town lay in ruins — The town lay in ruins.

And this form is written and pronounced in the same way as an independent verb to lay. The main meaning of which is “to put”.

She laid the baby on the bed — She laid the baby on the bed.

In a word, the confusion, of course, is utter, but if you look deeply into it and remember it once, it will be much easier to avoid mistakes.

2. Continual and continuous

These words can be called paronyms: they are spelled almost the same, but differ in meaning. Continual applies to repeated actions or events.

I’m sorry, I can’t work with these continual interruptions — Sorry, but I can’t work like that, I’m constantly interrupted.

Continuous, on the other hand, is about something that lasts continuously.

He spoke continuously for more than two hours — He spoke without stopping for more than two hours.

3. Envy and jealous

Even philologists cannot always explain the difference between these words clearly. Dictionaries say that jealous is primarily about jealousy.

In a moment of jealous frenzy, she cut the sleeves off all his shirts — In a fit of jealousy, she shredded the sleeves of his shirts.

But the word also has a second meaning: “annoyance that someone has what you yourself would like”. In other words, envy. The second word, envy, is also translated as “envy”.

He had always been very jealous of his brother’s success — He was always very jealous of his brother’s success.
Some of his colleagues envy the enormous wealth that he has amassed — Some of his colleagues envy his enormous wealth.

4. Fewer and less

Less is used when we talk about something abstract and uncountable, or we don’t mention the exact amount.

I eat less chocolate and fewer biscuits than I used to — I eat less chocolate and fewer biscuits than usual.
We must try to spend less money — We must try to spend less money.

Few and fewer can be safely used when talking about specific numbers or something that can be accurately calculated.

Fewer than 3,500 tigers are left in the wild today — No more than three and a half thousand tigers live in the wild today.
We received far fewer complaints than expected — We received far fewer complaints than expected.

5. Disinterested and uninterested

A disinterested observer / judgment

If we are talking about disinterest and indifference, it would be more correct to use the option uninterested.

He’s completely uninterested in sports — He’s completely uninterested in sports.

True, not all linguists are united on this issue. The compilers of the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, for example, believe that these words can be synonymous.

6. Anxious and excited

It’s natural that you should feel anxious when you first leave home — It’s natural to be anxious when you first leave home.

I’m anxious to get home to open my presents — I can’t wait to come home as soon as possible and open the presents.

7. Affect and effect

To deal with this dilemma, a simple hint can be used. Affect is almost always a verb, effect is a noun. Affect can be translated as «to influence, cause, lead to something.»

Factors that affect sleep include stress and many medical conditions — Causes that affect sleep include stress and various medical conditions.

Effect is, in fact, the effect or the result of some processes or events.

I’m suffering from the effects of too little sleep — I suffer from the effects of lack of sleep.

8. Among and between

Words are similar in meaning, but still not synonymous. Between translates as «between».

A narrow path runs between the two houses — A narrow path runs between the two houses.
The shop is closed for lunch between 12.30 and 1.30 — The shop is closed for lunch from half past twelve to half past one.

Among rather means «among», «one of».

The decision will not be popular among students — This decision will not be popular among students.
She divided the cake among the children — She divided the cake among the children.

If we are talking about specific people or objects, it is more appropriate to speak between, and if it is about indefinite or generalized — among.

9. Assure and ensure

She assured them, that she would be all right — She assured them that everything would be fine with her.

But ensure is appropriate to use when we ourselves want to make sure of something.

Please ensure that all examination papers have your name at the top — Please ensure that your examination papers are signed.

10. Then and than

She trained as a teacher and then became a lawyer — She studied to be a teacher, but then became a lawyer.

Than is a preposition, it is used for comparison.

It cost less than I expected — It cost less than I thought.

11. Lose and loose

I hope he doesn’t lose his job — I hope he doesn’t lose his job.

And loose translates as «relaxed», «free», «loose».

A loose dress / sweater — loose dress / sweater.

12. A lot and the lot

I’ve got a lot to do this morning — I have a lot to do this morning.

At the same time, the lot is a British colloquial element, which means not just «a lot», but «everything.»

I made enough curry for three people and he ate the lot — I cooked curry for three, and he ate it all alone.

13. Amount and number

Here the story is similar to fewer and less. Both words refer to quantity, but amount is used when we are talking about something indefinite and uncountable, and number when we are talking about objects or people that can be counted.

The project will take a huge amount of time and money — This project will take a huge amount of time and money.
A small number of children are educated at home — A small number of children study at home.

Source: https://allkharkov.ua/news/science/13-oshibok-v-angliiskom-iazyke-kotorye-delaet-kajdyi-iz-nas.html

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