Few & Little - Quanitifiers to modify the nouns- NMDCAT & NUMS English

A quantifier is a word that usually goes before a noun to express the quantity of the object.

few, a few, the few quantifiers are used with countable nouns and

little, a little, the little quantifiers are used with liquid and uncountable nouns. 

Few means nothing or less than something.

Examples.

Few students have turned up today due to heavy rain in the town. 

(The total number of students is 60, only 5 to 6 have turned up)

A few means something or more than nothing.

A few students have turned up today due to heavy rain in the town. 

(The total number of students is 60, only 15 to 16 have turned up)

The few means something but in a sense of all. 

A few students have turned up today due to heavy rain in the town. 

(The total number of students is 60, only 15 to 16 have turned up)

Now in the same sense 

little means nothing or more less than something.

There is little water in the jug for 10 persons.  

(The total number of persons is 10 against very little water in the jug)

A little means something or more than nothing 

There is a little water in the jug for 10 persons.  

(The total number of persons is 10 against more water than nothing in the jug, or persons becomes 5)

The little means something but in a sense of all. 

The little water in the jug is not worth drinking because there is a fly in the water.)  

(Now the whole water is contaminated, however, it was a little before the fly falls in it. 

Click here for Related topics:

Use of Quantifier

Use of Modifier

Use of Intensifier

Online lecture of Order of Adverbs