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few

Word family

few /fjuː/ S1 W1 determiner , pronoun , adjective (comparativecomp fewer, superlativesupl fewest) → phew

1 FEW/NOT MANY[no comparative] a small number of things or people 一些，幾個

a few

I have to buy a few things at the supermarket.

我得到超級市場買些東西。

Pam called to say she’s going to be a few minutes late.

帕姆打電話來說她要晚幾分鐘到。

There were a few people sitting at the back of the hall.

大廳後面坐着幾個人。

There are a few more things I’d like to discuss.

還有一些事我想討論一下。

few of

I’ve read a few of her books.

我讀過她的幾部作品。

I could suggest many different methods, but anyway, here are just a few.

我可以推薦許多不同的方法，不過這裏就只說幾個。

There are only a very few (=not many) exceptions.

只有少數例外。

the last/next few

The office has been closed for the last few days.

最近幾天那家辦事處沒有開門。

every few days/weeks etc

The plants need to be watered every few days.

這些植物隔幾天就得澆次水。

the/somebody’s few days/weeks etc

She had enjoyed her few days in Monaco.

她在摩納哥的那幾天玩得很開心。

2 quite a few/a good few/not a few a fairly large number of things or people 相當多，不少

She must have cooked a good few dinners over the years.

這些年她一定做過不少次晚餐。

quite a few/a good few/not a few of 只有少數例外。

There were hundreds of protesters, not a few of whom were women.

有幾百名示威者，其中不少是女性。

3 ENOUGHnot many or hardly any people or things 很少，不多；幾乎沒有 OPP many

low-paid jobs that few people want

沒有幾個人想要的低薪工作

Many people expressed concern, but few were willing to help.

許多人表示關心，但是願意幫忙的幾乎沒有。

The team that makes the fewest mistakes usually wins.

通常失誤最少的隊會赢。

few of

Very few of the staff come from the local area.

員工中幾乎沒有當地人。

Mr Wingate was full of explanations, but precious few (=hardly any) of them made sense.

溫蓋特先生一大堆解釋，但是言之成理的少之又少。

the few

The cathedral was one of the few buildings not destroyed in the war.

這座大教堂是少數未被毀於戰火的建築物之一。

This hospital is one of the few that are equipped to provide transplant surgery.

這是少數擁有外科移植手術設備的醫院之一。

somebody’s few belongings/friends etc

I gathered together my few possessions.

我收拾了僅有的幾樣東西。

4 no fewer than used to emphasize that a number is large 至少，不少於〔用於強調數目很大〕

I tried to contact him no fewer than ten times.

我試圖聯系他不下十次。

Examples from the Corpus

no fewer than• I tried to contact him no fewer than ten times.

5 as few as 5/10 etc used to emphasize how surprisingly small a number is 只有5/10等〔用於強調數量出乎意料地小〕

Sometimes as few as 20 out of 500 or more candidates succeed in passing all the tests.

有時，500名甚至更多的候選人中只有20名能通過所有測試。

Examples from the Corpus

as few as 5/10 etc• The number of bodies that will be left standing is unclear but could be as few as 10.• Infection can result from ingestion of as few as 10 cysts.• But if every worker made pins separately, the factory might make as few as 10 or at the most 200.

6 to name/mention but a few used when you are mentioning only a small number of people or things as examples of a large group 略舉幾個例子

This is a feature of languages such as Arabic, Spanish and Portuguese, to name but a few.

這一特征見於多種語言，略舉幾個例子來說，如阿拉伯語、西班牙語、葡萄牙語。

7 the (privileged/chosen) few the small number of people who are treated better than others and have special advantages 少數（特殊的/挑選出來的）幾個人

Such information is made available only to the chosen few.

此類信息只有少數幾個人才可以知道。

The needs of the many have been ignored – instead, the priority has been to bring benefits only to the few.

多數人的需要被忽視了——相反，只優先惠及了少數人。

Examples from the Corpus

the (privileged/chosen) few• Date palms are one of the few fruit trees that can be safely transplanted at full maturity.• A decade ago this was Checkpoint Charlie, one of the few gaps in an otherwise impenetrable barrier a hundred miles long.• The major drawback for all immigrant firms has been the difficulty in recruiting the few highly skilled key workers essential to production.• Stirling sensibly argued that it was illogical to form two new battalions when the few men he required were being denied him.• Hundreds of people could be seen walking along the roadside or waiting patiently for the few overcrowded buses.• I had underlined the few shady connections which made it into the open.• But then Jeffries said that that article was one of the few that had examined his ideas on the merits.

8 be few and far between to be rare 稀少，罕見

Jobs are few and far between at the moment.

眼下工作機會很少。

Examples from the Corpus

be few and far between• Good jobs are few and far between these days.• Shop said that all its stores were open but that customers were few and far between.• The instances of this happening are few and far between.• The schools are crowded, and good teachers are few and far between.• Toys were few and far between, but the children invented games and played together.• But for all this effort, meaningful accomplishments are few and far between.• Deaf postgraduates, who are few and far between, have little chance of taking a higher degree.• Facilities like the recently opened Russell Cairns Unit in Oxford are few and far between.• Opportunities for young parents to socialize with each other are few and far between these days.• Rough edges are few and far between.• Sanatorium beds were few and far between, and often had to be obtained through influence.

9 have had a few (too many) informal to have drunk too much alcohol 喝太多酒，喝醉，喝多了

He looks as if he’s had a few!

他看上去像是喝多了！

Examples from the Corpus

have had a few (too many)• Ralph Nader may have had a few, but then again far, far too few to mention.

5 Grammar 語法

A few and few are used before plural nouns. a few和few 用於可數名詞之前。

It will take a few minutes.

這需要幾分鐘時間。

A few means ‘a small number’. a few 指“一些”

Few people knew he was ill.

幾乎沒人知道他病了。

Few means ‘not many’. It emphasizes how small the number is. It is mainly used in writing or formal speech. few 指“不多”，強調少,主要用於書面語或正式講話

Not many people saw what happened.

沒有多少人看到發生的事。

In conversation or informal writing, it is more usual to say not many . 在對話或非正式書面語中，not many更爲常用

n GRAMMAR: Comparison

a few

A few means ‘a small number, for example two or three people or things’.

You use a few before plural nouns:

A few people were waiting.

He called me a few days later.

You say a few of the:

A few of the people were getting annoyed.

✗Don’t say: A few of people were getting annoyed.

You say a few of my/her/his etc or a few of them/us/you:

A few of my friends came too.

A few of us left early.

few

Few means ‘not many or hardly any’. It emphasizes how small the number is.

In formal English, you use few before plural nouns, without ‘a’:

Few people knew he was ill.

In everyday English, people usually say not many instead:

Not many people knew he was ill.

Examples from the Corpus

every few days/weeks etc• At chains such as Hair Club for Men, rugs are glommed on to existing hair and must be adjusted every few weeks.• He said groups of 10 to 15 intellectuals were executed every few days.• Now we fasten pinecones to the dahlia sticks and shake them out every few days.• So I started this route that I run every few days.• This takes only a few minutes and should be done every few days.• Recruitment advertisements on behalf of one licensed dealer or another used to appear every few weeks in London or the national press.• However, households also paid sharply more for some items they bought every few days, such as gasoline and dairy products.• The president's foes are vowing to hold large demonstrations every few days to keep pressure on Estrada to resign voluntarily.

the few• It was Jack Trumper, one of the few disreputable acquaintances of his Cambridge days.• She was one of the few of the younger generation who took the time to take seriously a conference questionnaire.• Is globalisation for the few or for the many, Prime Minister?• Instead, George concentrated his efforts on the few remaining furry areas on an otherwise bare bear.• Nevertheless, utility bonds are one of the few Southeastern sectors priced below national levels.• Walking the few steps to the dressing table, she picked it up.• It was one of the few times he and I talked.

Origin few

Old English feawa

few determiner →n GRAMMAR1 →5 REGISTER1

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Chinese

Corpus