A few, a little and enough
Talk about small amounts with a few and a little, and say if there is enough or too much.
In this lesson you will
- Use a few (countable) and a little (uncountable)
- Understand few/little without ‘a’
- Use enough and too correctly
Learn
A few + plural countable = a small number: a few friends. A little + uncountable = a small amount: a little milk.
Without a, few / little sound negative (= not enough): Few people came (disappointing). There’s little hope.
Enough = as much as you need. It goes before nouns (enough chairs, enough time) and after adjectives/adverbs (old enough, fast enough). Not enough = less than needed.
Too + adjective = more than is good: It’s too hot. This bag is too heavy to carry.
Examples
- I’ve got a few questions.
- Could I have a little sugar?
- We don’t have enough chairs for everyone.
- She isn’t old enough to drive.
Vocabulary
a few
a small number
a little
a small amount
enough
as much or as many as needed
too
more than is good or wanted
spare
extra, not being used
“Do you have a spare pen?”
Practice
I need ___ eggs for the cake.
Speaking
Talk about your life: what do you have enough of, not enough of, and too much of? (time, sleep, money, free time, work, friends)
Writing
Write a short complaint about a hotel room: too small, not enough towels, only a few channels on TV… (50–70 words)
Lesson quiz
Can you wait ___ minutes?
Review
Key points
- a few + countable; a little + uncountable.
- few/little (no a) = not enough.
- enough before nouns, after adjectives.
- too + adjective = more than good.
What you learned
- ✓ I can talk about small amounts.
- ✓ I can use enough correctly.
- ✓ I can use too.
Grammar reference: Countable and uncountable nouns; some, any, much, many