主要區(qū)別在于后續(xù)動(dòng)詞和用法,a few of通常用于表示“某幾個(gè)”,后面接的名詞通常是復(fù)數(shù)形式,其后的謂語(yǔ)動(dòng)詞也通常是復(fù)數(shù)形式,A few of my friends are coming to the party.(我的幾個(gè)朋友要來(lái)參加聚會(huì)。)
而a few則作為量詞使用,其后直接跟可數(shù)名詞復(fù)數(shù),不使用of,A few students were absent from class today.(今天有幾個(gè)學(xué)生缺課。)
在詞性上,a few of中的a few是代詞,而單獨(dú)的a few是量詞。這兩者在表達(dá)意思上有所不同,a few表示“一些”或“幾個(gè)”,通常用于可數(shù)名詞復(fù)數(shù);而a little則表示“一點(diǎn)”或“少量”,通常用于不可數(shù)名詞,I've simply extracted a few figures.(我只是摘取了一些數(shù)據(jù)。)以及There is a little milk left in the bottle.(瓶子里還有一些牛奶。)
a little也可以用作副詞,表示“稍微”或“有點(diǎn)”,如:She is a little tired.(她有點(diǎn)累了。)
而few和little都帶有否定的意味,分別表示“很少”和“幾乎沒(méi)有”,F(xiàn)ew people understand the complexity of the issue.(很少有人理解這個(gè)問(wèn)題的復(fù)雜性。)和There is little time left.(幾乎沒(méi)有時(shí)間了。)這四個(gè)詞在意思和用法上有所區(qū)別,few和little都帶有否定的意味,few用于可數(shù)名詞復(fù)數(shù),表示“很少幾個(gè)”或“幾乎沒(méi)有”,而little用于不可數(shù)名詞,表示“很少”或“幾乎沒(méi)有”,F(xiàn)ew students passed the exam.(幾乎沒(méi)有學(xué)生通過(guò)考試。)和There is little hope for improvement.(幾乎沒(méi)有改進(jìn)的希望。)
相反,a few和a little都表示肯定,分別意為“有幾個(gè)”和“有一點(diǎn)兒”,a few用于可數(shù)名詞復(fù)數(shù),a little用于不可數(shù)名詞,A few guests are expected to arrive.(預(yù)計(jì)會(huì)有幾個(gè)客人到來(lái)。)和I have a little money left.(我還剩下一點(diǎn)錢。)
little和few還可以用來(lái)強(qiáng)調(diào)數(shù)量上的少,而a little和a few則強(qiáng)調(diào)有一些,數(shù)量上比“少”稍微多一點(diǎn),There is little water left in the bottle.(瓶子里幾乎沒(méi)水了。)和There is a little more time.(還有一點(diǎn)點(diǎn)時(shí)間。)