Few vs a Few
Understanding the difference between few and a few will help you to use few and a few effectively in the correct context. If you look at both expressions closely, you will understand that a few is also a derivative of few. Few is known as a pronoun, adjective, determiner as well as a noun in the English language. Moreover , the origin of the word few lies in the Old English words fēawe, fēawa. Furthermore, the word few is used in a number of phrases such as every few, few and far between, a good few, etc.
What does A Few mean?
The word a few is used to express number as in the sentence given below.
I took a few mangoes to my home.
In this sentence given above, the word ‘few’ suggests the number of mangoes. Hence, the usage of the word a few suggests the quantity of objects or people. A few is sometimes used to suggest a small number of some object or people as in the sentences given below.
Only a few remained after the meeting was over.
The whole class only got a few leaflets.
In the first sentence, the usage of the word a few suggests that a small number of people remained after the meeting got over. In the second sentence, the usage of the word a few suggests that the whole class only got several leaflets. The use of the word a few suggests the idea of ‘better than nothing’ as in the sentence given below.
There are a few cakes in the box.
Here, the idea of ‘more than expected’ is felt by the use of the word a few. However, this meaning can be felt according to the context of the use of the expression a few.
What does Few mean?
On the other hand, the word few gives the following meaning as the Oxford English dictionary explains. Few is “used to emphasize how small a number of people or things is.”
There are few books in the shelf.
In this sentence, the usage of the word few suggests that there are only several books on the shelf. Also, when you put article the before the word few, it becomes the noun few. In this sense, the few means the minority of people or the elect. Look at the following example to understand how this the few is used in sentences.
Comfort and luxury are not just for the few.
In this sentence given above, the few means the minority. So the meaning of the sentence goes as comfort and luxury are not just for the minority.
What is the difference between Few and A Few?
• The word a few is used to express number.
• On the other hand, the word few is actually used to emphasize how small a number of people or things is. This is the main difference between the usages of the two words, namely, few and a few.
• A few is sometimes used to suggest a small number of some object or people.
• The use of the word a few suggests the idea of ‘better than nothing’.
• Moreover, the few means the minority of people or the elect.