A FEW vs. [ONLY A] FEW いくらかの vs. ほとんどない【数】A few means "some" or "not none". Few and only a few mean "not many". Phrases using "few" are followed by the plural form of a countable noun; for example, "a few birds". (Be careful: In general, a few is used to make positive statements; we use it when we want to say that there ARE some. But (only a) few feels negative; we use it to say that there are NOT many.) a few は、いくらかあるという意味です。 few と only a few は、ほとんどないという意味です。 few の後には数えられる名詞の複数形が来ます。例: afew birds (何羽かの鳥) 注意:a few は、肯定的な意味で、少しではあるが、ある、と言いたいときに使います。 (only a) few は、否定的な意味で、ほとんどない、ほんの僅かしかないと言いたいときに使います。 1. | a: | Do you know anyone in Kobe? | | b: | Yes, I have a few friends there. | | | | 2. | a: | Do you know anyone in Kobe? | | b: | No, I know few people outside of Tokyo. | | | | 3. | a: | Should I order some more file folders? | | b: | No, we still have a few left. | | | | 4. | a: | Should I order some more file folders? | | b: | Yes, please. We only have a few left. | | | | 5. | That's a wonderful art gallery. They even have a few paintings by Picasso. | | | | 6. | That art gallery disappointed me. I only liked a few of the paintings. |
|