Use of few, little, much, many, elder, older

How to use few, little, much, many, elder, older in English 

Use of some important adjectives like few, little, much, many, elder, older, later, latter, last, first, foremost, further, farther, nearest, next, each, every, less, lesser in English 

■ What is the difference few, a few, the few

Use of few, a few, the few                           

Few, a few, the few – all these Adjectives denote number.

Few = not many; in fact none. Few has a negative meaning. 

A few = some at least. A few has a positive meaning. 

The few = not many but all there are.

Example: (i) Few friends offered to help me. (almost no friends)

(ii) Few towns in India have public library. (almost no towns)

(iii) I have still a few friends left to help me. (at least some friends)

(iv) A few words spoken in earnest will convince me. (at least some words)

(v) The few friends I have did not help in need. (not many friends but all of them)

(vi) The few friends he has all are poor. ( not many friends but all of them)

■ What is the difference little, a little, the little 

Use of little, a little, the little                      

Little, a little, the little – all these Adjectives denote quantity.

Little = not much; hardly any. Little has a negative meaning. 

A little = at least some. A little has a positive meaning. 

The little = not much but all there is.

Example: (i) We gave up the plan because we had a little hope of its success. (almost no hope)

(ii) He showed little concern for his friend. (almost no concern)

(iii) There is a little hope for his recovery. (at least some hope left)

(iv) A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. (some knowledge not many)

(v) The little information we had was not enough. (not much information but all information)

(vi) We have given up the little hope we had. (not much hope but all there is)

■ What is the difference some and any

Use of some, any                                             

Some, any – these Adjectives denote quantity or degree.

Some is used in an affirmative sentence, while any is used in negative sentence.

Example: (i) I will buy some mangoes.

(ii) Some friends have already gone for the trip. 

(iii) Do you have some good novels to go through? (positive response)

(iv) I will not buy any mango. 

(v) The jar does not contain any biscuits. 

(vi) Have you bought any mangoes? (negative response)

■ What is the difference much and many

Use of much, many                                         

Much, many – these Adjectives denote quantity and number. 

Much = large quantity; used with uncountable

Many = large number; used with plural of countable 

Example: (i) I have much sugar in the bag.

(ii) There is much worry regarding the weather. 

(iii) Many friends have lost their interest in the film.

(iv) There are many balls to play with.

■What is the difference each and every 

Use of each, every                                         

Both each and every take a singular verb and similar in meaning ; but every is a stronger word than each means without exception. 

Each = two or more things, taken one by one.

Every = all of a number of things (more than two) taken individually. 

Each is used when the number of the group is limited, definite 

Every is used when the number is not limited, indefinite.

Example: (i) Every seat was taken in hall.

(ii) Five boys were seated on each bench.

(iii) Every member of the committee appeared in the meeting. 

(iv) Each member of the family fell ill.

(v) It rained every day during my holidays.

(vi) I was away ten days and it rained each day.

■ What is the difference elder, eldest, older, oldest

Use of elder, eldest, older, oldest              

Elder, eldest are used only of close family relations like sons, daughters, sisters, brothers. Elder is not followed by than.

Older, oldest are used both of persons and things and denote age.

Example: (i) My elder brother is a cricketer. 

(ii) He is the elder of two sons.

(iii) He is eldest of his sons. (first born)

(iv) Rahul is older than his friend. 

(v) He is the oldest member of the club.

(vi) This is the oldest pair of shoes I have.

■ What is the difference later, later, latest, last

Use of later, latter, latest, last                    

Later and latest denote time.

Latter and last denote position.

Later = more late in time; coming after something else.

Latter = opposite of former; the second in the order of mentioned.

Latest = last up to now

Last = last of all; final.

Example: (i) The excitement  went high up in the later half of the match.

(ii) The nuclear reaction has been discussed in the later chapters. 

(iii) Have you seen the latest film?

(iv) Venus and Serena entered the finals. The latter won the match. (Serena)

(v) I was the last person to enter the room.

■ What is the difference first and foremost 

Use of first, foremost                                    

First = order or position; opposite of last.

Foremost = of greatest importance; of most conspicuous. 

Example: (i) The first person in the row will receive the trophy.

(ii) I was the first person to speak against him. 

(iii) It is our foremost duty to serve  our country. 

(iv) Parents are the foremost teachers  in the family. 

■ What is the difference further and farther 

Use of further, farther                                 

Further = comparative degree of fore and denotes something additional.

Farther = comparative degree of far and denotes a greater distance. 

Example: (i) He went to England for further studies. 

(ii) I did not apply further for the post.

(iii) Sikkim is farther from Kolkata than Darjeeling. 

Use of nearest, next                                       

Nearest = denotes distance 

Next = denotes position

Example: (i) I live nearest to the railway station. 

(ii) His house is next to mine.

Use of less, lesser                                            

Less is used both as an Adjective and Adverb. 

Lesser is used as an Adjective only.

Example: (i) Money is less valuable than education. (less as an Adverb)

(ii) My income is less than yours. (less as an Adjective)

(iii) Pick out the lesser importance of the two.

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