Adjectives: Few और Little का प्रयोग

Hindi-medium students often confuse Few and Little because both translate to 'some' or 'less' in Hindi. Exams primarily test the distinction between Countable and Uncountable nouns used with these adjectives.

Rule 1: Few vs Little (Countable vs Uncountable)

Use 'Few' with plural countable nouns (things you can count). Use 'Little' with uncountable nouns (things you measure, not count). Formula: Few + Plural Countable Noun | Little + Uncountable Noun.

Examples

• ✔ I have few friends in this city. — इस शहर में मेरे न के बराबर दोस्त हैं।
• ✔ There is little milk in the bottle. — बोतल में न के बराबर दूध है।
• ✔ He has a few pens in his bag. — उसके बैग में कुछ पेन हैं।
• ✔ Give me a little water to drink. — मुझे पीने के लिए थोड़ा पानी दो।
• ✔ She has few books to read. — उसके पास पढ़ने के लिए बहुत कम किताबें हैं।
• ✔ We have little time left for the exam. — परीक्षा के लिए हमारे पास बहुत कम समय बचा है।

Common mistakes

• ✘ I have little friends.
• ✔ I have few friends. (Friends is a countable noun, so 'few' must be used instead of 'little'.)
• ✘ Give me few water.
• ✔ Give me a little water. (Water is uncountable, so 'little' is the correct adjective.)

💡 Count fingers for 'Few' (countable) and think of a drop for 'Little' (uncountable).

Rule 2: Difference between Few, A few and The few

'Few' means almost none (negative). 'A few' means some (positive). 'The few' means all of the small amount available (specific).

Examples

• ✔ He is lonely because he has few friends. — वह अकेला है क्योंकि उसके न के बराबर दोस्त हैं।
• ✔ I can speak a few words of English. — मैं अंग्रेजी के कुछ शब्द बोल सकता हूँ।
• ✔ The few clothes he had were all torn. — उसके पास जो थोड़े-बहुत कपड़े थे, वे सब फटे हुए थे।
• ✔ Few people are truly honest these days. — आजकल न के बराबर लोग वास्तव में ईमानदार हैं।
• ✔ A few students passed the difficult test. — कुछ छात्र कठिन परीक्षा में पास हो गए।
• ✔ The few books I had were stolen. — मेरे पास जो थोड़ी-बहुत किताबें थीं, वे चोरी हो गईं।

Common mistakes

• ✘ A few knowledge is dangerous.
• ✔ A little knowledge is dangerous. (Knowledge is uncountable; 'little' should be used instead of 'few'.)
• ✘ I have the few money.
• ✔ I have a little money. (Money is uncountable; use 'little' or 'some' instead of 'few'.)

💡 'Few' is like a zero, 'A few' is like a small number, 'The few' is a specific group.

Rule 3: Difference between Little, A little and The little

'Little' means almost nothing (negative). 'A little' means some amount (positive). 'The little' means all of the small amount that exists (specific).

Examples

• ✔ There is little hope of his recovery. — उसके ठीक होने की न के बराबर उम्मीद है।
• ✔ Add a little sugar to my tea. — मेरी चाय में थोड़ी चीनी डाल दो।
• ✔ The little milk in the pot turned sour. — बर्तन में जो थोड़ा-बहुत दूध था, वह खट्टा हो गया।
• ✔ I have little interest in politics. — मेरी राजनीति में न के बराबर रुचि है।
• ✔ A little rest will make you feel better. — थोड़ा आराम आपको बेहतर महसूस कराएगा।
• ✔ He spent the little money he had. — उसके पास जो थोड़ा-बहुत धन था, उसने खर्च कर दिया।

Common mistakes

• ✘ He has a little friends.
• ✔ He has a few friends. (Friends is countable; 'few' is the correct choice.)
• ✘ The few water in the jug is cold.
• ✔ The little water in the jug is cold. (Water is uncountable; use 'little' instead of 'few'.)

💡 Use 'The little' when the sentence describes what happened to the 'whole' of that small amount.

Rule 4: Fewer vs Less (Comparative Degree)

'Fewer' is the comparative form of 'few' (for countable nouns). 'Less' is the comparative form of 'little' (for uncountable nouns).

Examples

• ✔ No fewer than ten boys were absent. — दस से कम लड़के अनुपस्थित नहीं थे।
• ✔ I drink less coffee than you. — मैं आपसे कम कॉफी पीता हूँ।
• ✔ Fewer people live in villages now. — अब गाँवों में कम लोग रहते हैं।
• ✔ This car consumes less fuel. — यह कार कम ईंधन की खपत करती है।
• ✔ There are fewer chairs in this room. — इस कमरे में कम कुर्सियाँ हैं।
• ✔ Eat less sugar to stay healthy. — स्वस्थ रहने के लिए कम चीनी खाएं।

Common mistakes

• ✘ There are less students today.
• ✔ There are fewer students today. (Students is countable; use 'fewer' for comparison.)
• ✘ I have fewer milk than him.
• ✔ I have less milk than him. (Milk is uncountable; use 'less' for comparison.)

💡 'Less' is for quantity; 'Fewer' is for number.

Rule 5: Many/Number vs Much/Amount

'Many' and 'Number' are used with countable nouns. 'Much' and 'Amount' are used with uncountable nouns.

Examples

• ✔ Many students are playing. — कई छात्र खेल रहे हैं।
• ✔ How much water do you need? — आपको कितने पानी की आवश्यकता है?
• ✔ A large number of books were sold. — बड़ी संख्या में किताबें बेची गईं।
• ✔ A large amount of money was wasted. — बड़ी मात्रा में पैसा बर्बाद हो गया।
• ✔ There isn't much salt in the soup. — सूप में ज्यादा नमक नहीं है।
• ✔ Many people attended the wedding. — शादी में कई लोग शामिल हुए।

Common mistakes

• ✘ A large amount of people came.
• ✔ A large number of people came. (People are countable; use 'number' instead of 'amount'.)
• ✘ How many milk do you want?
• ✔ How much milk do you want? (Milk is uncountable; use 'much' instead of 'many'.)

💡 If you can say 'one, two, three', use Many/Number. If not, use Much/Amount.

Quick revision

• 'Few' is used with plural countable nouns.
• 'Little' is used with uncountable nouns.
• 'Few' and 'Little' imply a negative sense (hardly any).
• 'A few' and 'A little' imply a positive sense (some).
• 'The few' and 'The little' refer to the whole of a small quantity.
• 'Fewer' is for number; 'Less' is for quantity.
• Use 'Number' for countable items and 'Amount' for uncountable substances.