few

 Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++朗文当代英语 5++LDOCE 5++朗文 5++few /fjuː/ ●●● S1 W1 determiner, pronoun, adjective (comparative fewer, superlative fewest)  1  FEW/NOT MANY[no comparative] a small number of things or people 一些，几个a few I have to buy a few things at the supermarket. 我得到超级市场买些东西。 Pam called to say she’s going to be a few minutes late. 帕姆打电话来说她要晚几分钟到。 There were a few people sitting at the back of the hall. 大厅后面坐着几个人。 There are a few more things I’d like to discuss. 还有一些事我想讨论一下。few of I’ve read a few of her books. 我读过她的几部作品。 I could suggest many different methods, but anyway, here are just a few. 我可以推荐许多不同的方法，不过这里就只说几个。 There are only a very few (=not many) exceptions. 只有少数例外。the last/next few The office has been closed for the last few days. 最近几天那家办事处没有开门。every few days/weeks etc The plants need to be watered every few days. 这些植物隔几天就得浇次水。the/somebody’s few days/weeks etc She had enjoyed her few days in Monaco. 她在摩纳哥的那几天玩得很开心。2  quite a few/a good few/not a few a fairly large number of things or people 相当多，不少 She must have cooked a good few dinners over the years. 这些年她一定做过不少次晚餐。quite a few/a good few/not a few of 只有少数例外。 There were hundreds of protesters, not a few of whom were women. 有几百名示威者，其中不少是女性。3  ENOUGHnot many or hardly any people or things 很少，不多；几乎没有 OPP many low-paid jobs that few people want 没有几个人想要的低薪工作 Many people expressed concern, but few were willing to help. 许多人表示关心，但是愿意帮忙的几乎没有。 The team that makes the fewest mistakes usually wins. 通常失误最少的队会赢。few of Very few of the staff come from the local area. 员工中几乎没有当地人。 Mr Wingate was full of explanations, but precious few (=hardly any) of them made sense. 温盖特先生一大堆解释，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. 这座大教堂是少数未被毁于战火的建筑物之一。 This hospital is one of the few that are equipped to provide transplant surgery. 这是少数拥有外科移植手术设备的医院之一。somebody’s few belongings/friends etc I gathered together my few possessions. 我收拾了仅有的几样东西。4  no fewer than used to emphasize that a number is large 至少，不少于〔用于强调数目很大〕 I tried to contact him no fewer than ten times. 我试图联系他不下十次。5  as few as 5/10 etc used to emphasize how surprisingly small a number is 只有5/10等〔用于强调数量出乎意料地小〕 Sometimes as few as 20 out of 500 or more candidates succeed in passing all the tests. 有时，500名甚至更多的候选人中只有20名能通过所有测试。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 略举几个例子 This is a feature of languages such as Arabic, Spanish and Portuguese, to name but a few. 这一特征见于多种语言，略举几个例子来说，如阿拉伯语、西班牙语、葡萄牙语。7  the (privileged/chosen) few the small number of people who are treated better than others and have special advantages 少数（特殊的/挑选出来的）几个人 Such information is made available only to the chosen few. 此类信息只有少数几个人才可以知道。 The needs of the many have been ignored – instead, the priority has been to bring benefits only to the few. 多数人的需要被忽视了——相反，只优先惠及了少数人。8  be few and far between to be rare 稀少，罕见 Jobs are few and far between at the moment. 眼下工作机会很少。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！5 Grammar 语法A few and few are used before plural nouns. a few和few 用于可数名词之前。It will take a few minutes.这需要几分钟时间。A few means ‘a small number’. a few 指“一些”Few people knew he was ill.几乎没人知道他病了。Few means ‘not many’. It emphasizes how small the number is. It is mainly used in writing or formal speech. few 指“不多”，强调少,主要用于书面语或正式讲话Not many people saw what happened.没有多少人看到发生的事。In conversation or informal writing, it is more usual to say not many . 在对话或非正式书面语中，not many更为常用n GRAMMAR: Comparisona 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 REGISTER1LDOCE OnlineChinese  

or number small people things Corpus of a

few
few S1 W1 /fjuː/ determiner, pronoun, adjective (comparative fewer, superlative fewest)1. [no comparative] a small number of things or people
    a few
    I have to buy a few things at the supermarket.
    Pam called to say she’s going to be a few minutes late.
    There were a few people sitting at the back of the hall.
    There are a few more things I’d like to discuss.
    few of
    I’ve read a few of her books.
    I could suggest many different methods, but anyway, here are just a few.
    There are only a very few (=not many) exceptions.
    the last/next few
    The office has been closed for the last few days.
    every few days/weeks etc
    The plants need to be watered every few days.
    the/sb’s few days/weeks etc
    She had enjoyed her few days in Monaco.
2. quite a few/a good few/not a few a fairly large number of things or people:
    She must have cooked a good few dinners over the years.
    quite a few/a good few/not a few of
    There were hundreds of protesters, not a few of whom were women.
3. not many or hardly any people or things
   OPP  many:
    low-paid jobs that few people want
    Many people expressed concern, but few were willing to help.
    The team that makes the fewest mistakes usually wins.
    few of
    Very few of the staff come from the local area.
    Mr Wingate was full of explanations, but precious few (=hardly any) of them made sense.
    the few
    The cathedral was one of the few buildings not destroyed in the war.
    This hospital is one of the few that are equipped to provide transplant surgery.
    sb’s few belongings/friends etc
    I gathered together my few possessions.
4. no fewer than used to emphasize that a number is large:
    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:
    Sometimes as few as 20 out of 500 or more candidates succeed in passing all the tests.
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:
    This is a feature of languages such as Arabic, Spanish and Portuguese, to name but a few.
7. the (privileged/chosen) few the small number of people who are treated better than others and have special advantages:
    Such information is made available only to the chosen few.
    The needs of the many have been ignored – instead, the priority has been to bring benefits only to the few.
8. be few and far between to be rare:
    Jobs are few and far between at the moment.
9. have had a few (too many) informal to have drunk too much alcohol:
    He looks as if he’s had a few!
     
GRAMMAR
  A few.and few are used before plural nouns.
  A few.means 'a small number':
  ▪ It will take a few minutes.
  Few.means 'not many'. It emphasizes how small the number is. It is mainly used in writing or formal speech:
  ▪ Few people knew he was ill.
  In conversation or informal writing, it is more usual to say not many:
  ▪ Not many people saw what happened.