区别辨析little、few与several

little、few与several这几个词用作形容词时均含“少量的”之意。

little : 只修饰不可数名词,含否定意义。

  • There seems little hope of a ceasefire.
    看来停火的希望很渺茫了。
  • They have very little money.
    他们手头钱很少。
  • There's so little choice.
    可选择的余地太小了。

few : 只修饰可数名词的复数形式,侧重指数量非常少,给人一种模糊概念,含否定意义。

  • It was embarrassing how few people attended the party.
    只有那么几个人去参加了聚会,真令人尴尬。
  • He is among the few people I can trust.
    他是为数不多的几个我能信任的人之一。

several : 修饰可数名词的复数形式,指至少有3个,但不会超过5、6个。

  • I've seen "Gone with the Wind" several times.
    我已经看过好几遍《乱世佳人》了。
  • Several people have complained about the plans.
    已经有好几个人抱怨过这项计划了。
  • Several of my friends are learning English.
    我有几个朋友在学英语。