Afew/Alittle
POSITIVE ATTITUDE
A few (for countable nouns) and a little (for uncountable nouns) describe the quantity in a positive
way, implying that although the speaker may not have much, he has enough.
EXAMPLES
I've got a few friends. = I have enough friends.
I have a few flowers in my garden. = I have enough flowers.
I've got a little money. = I have enough money.
I have a little free time on Thursdays. = I have enough free time.
Few/LittleNEGATIVE ATTITUDE
Few (for countable nouns) and little (for uncountable nouns) describe the quantity in a negative
way. They may actually indicate a total lack of the noun, but are more polite than saying so directly.
EXAMPLES
Few people visited him in hospital. = he had almost no visitors, or perhaps no visitors at all.
I've seen few birds around here. = there are almost no birds, or perhaps not a single bird
He had little money for treats. = almost no money, or perhaps no money at all
I have little time for TV = almost no time, or perhaps no time at all
1 I waited for
2 We have very
minutes and then tried to call him again.
chance of reaching London before lunchtime; it's still another
100 miles away.
3 Unfortunately, he has
4 Unfortunately,
money to live on, as his salary is quite low.
of the companies which we sent offers to showed interest in our
products.
5 There wouldn't be so many accidents if there was
traffic on the roads.
6 Last month was a good month for the company. We found
new customers
and also increased our profit.
7 The taxi driver spoke
English. I couldn't understand him.
8 We have to speed up - there is very
time to finish the project. The deadline is next
Friday.
9 There were
people than usual in the supermarket.
10 I have
money but more time than I did ten years ago.
11 It will take me
time, but I'm sure everyone will learn how to use the new software
eventually.
12 There were too many applicants for too
LINKING WORDS
jobs.
EXERCISES ON CONNECTORS (CONTRAST)
Exercise 1
FILL IN THE BLANKS WITH A SUITABLE CONTRAST CONNECTOR
(WHEREAS,BUT, ALTHOUGH, HOWEVER, DESPITE, IN SPITE OF, ON THE
OTHER HAND)
1. _____________ Andrew was warned of the risks, he decided to travel
alone to
South America.
2. Maria did not get a promotion ______________ her qualifications.
3. Zambia is a land- locked country, ____________ Kenya has a coastline.
4. On the one hand, you could rent a flat instead of buying one.
__________ you
are always at the mercy of landlords.
5. This restaurant has a good reputation, ______________ that one does
not.
6. The city has a 50 kph limit. __________________, people are often
caught
speeding.
7. You wont be forgiven ___________________ your apology.
8. We couldnt find a house to buy _______________we looked at quite a
few.
9. He always looks so lonely and sad ____________ his popularity.
10. He is quiet and shy, _________________ his sister is lively and talkative
Exercise 2
JOIN EACH PAIR OF SENTENCES. BE CAREFUL WHERE YOU PUT THE
WORDS
IN BRACKETS. ( ALTHOUGH, IN SPITE OF , DESPITE)
1. Dave smokes. He seems to be in good health ( although)
2. I couldnt sleep. I was tired. ( despite)
3. Max didnt notice the sign. It was right in front of him ( even though)
4. Kate never learnt Spanish. She lived in Spain for many years
(although)
5. Joe is a millionaire .He hates spending money. ( despite)
Exercise 3
REWRITE THESE SENTENCES.
1. I couldnt sleep although I was tired. (despite)
2. Although he has got an English name, he is in fact German. (despite)
3. In spite of her injured foot, she managed to walk to the
village( although)
4. I decided to accept the job although the salary was low. ( in spite of)
5. We lost the match although we were the better team.( despite)
6. In spite of not having eaten for 24 hours, I didnt feel hungry. (even
though)
7. Although she was tired, she went to work ( but)
8. They went out for a walk, even though the weather was bad.
( despite)
9. She managed to write in spite of her injured hand ( although)
10. She has plenty of money, but she is very mean ( although)
