few加可数名词单数还是复数

文/丁雪竹

few用作代词时,意思是“很少,几个”,作主语时谓语动词须用复数形式。作名词时意为“很少数,人名;(英)菲尤”,作代词时意为“很少”。作形容词时意为“很少的;几乎没有的”。

few加可数名词单数还是复数

few的用法

adj.很少的;很少;(与复数名词和复数动词连用)有些;几乎没有的。

pron.很少;有些(人、事物、地方);(与复数动词连用)少数人;不和…一般多。

n.很少数。

few用来强调小数目的否定意义,相当于说“很少”或“几乎没有”,它的含义是该数目令人失望或令人吃惊的小。如:

Few people like snakes. 很少有人喜欢蛇。

I know few of them. 他们当中我几乎不认识什么人。

a few的意思与few不同,它没有否定含义,它表示“有几个”,有时甚至还表示“一些”。如:

After a few tries they gave up. 试过几次之后他们就放弃了。

当要与一段时间连用时,我们总是用a few,不用few。如:

We need a place where we can stay for a few days. 我们需要一个能住几天的地方。

另外,还要注意not a few和quite a few这两个短语,不要误认为它们是反义词,其实它们几乎是同义词,都可表示“不少”“相当多”的意思。如:

Not a few of the members were absent. 不少会员未出席。

Quite a few of us are worried. 我们不少人很着急。

few的相关短语

every few

1. (尤指时间单位)每隔几…一次

她每隔几周探望一次。

she visits every few weeks.

few and far between

1. 稀少,罕有;稀疏

我难得有灵感。

my inspired moments are few and far between.

a good few

1. (英)大量的,许多的

多年来它一直挥之不去。

it had been around for a good few years.