[Ads-l] Ever pondered this question?
Bwh031451
bwh031451 at GMAIL.COM
Wed Jul 15 21:20:34 UTC 2020
“Few” can be less or more than “several”. The reason is that “several” is an absolute (though indefinite) number. It has limits. Compare “handful”.
“Few”, on the other hand, is a relative number, relative to some greater population. For example, “few Americans” know German—that could be millions. And “few” people in the class will get an F on the next test—probably fewer than a handful. It all depends on which population you’re referring to.
Brian Hitchcock
At Large
Email: bwh031451 at gmail.com
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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
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