Few / Little - A Few / A Little
Few or Little
We use few before plural nouns and little before singular uncountable nouns. They both mean that the amount we are talking about is not a lot,
e.g.
• I'm only taking a few things with me on this trip: a couple of T shirts and a pair of trousers.
• There's a little milk in the fridge. Can you buy some more?
Few and little (without the indefinite article 'a') are more negative in meaning. They express the idea 'not as many/much as I would like'.
A Few or A Little
A few and a little (with the indefinite article 'a') are similar in meaning to 'some'. They express quite a positive idea.
Few and little (without the indefinite article 'a') are more negative in meaning. They express the idea 'not as many/much as I would like'.
Compare these two sentences:
• We studied the Present Perfect yesterday in our English class; few students understood it. (Not many students understood and that's a problem.)
Subject: Few / Little - A Few / A Little 
Thu Jan 28, 2016 5:19 pm
