Correct use of adjectives
Choose correctly between few/a few, less/fewer, elder/older and more.
Some adjectives look alike but carry different meanings. This lesson sorts out pairs that learners often mix up: few and a few, little and a little, fewer and less, elder and older, later and latter.
Many common adjectives come in confusing pairs, and the right choice depends on whether the noun can be counted and on the exact shade of meaning you want.
Examples
- A few volunteers stayed back to help clean the hall.
- There is little hope of rain this week.
- Please add a little lemon juice to the salad.
- This route has fewer signals and less traffic.
- My elder brother works in Chennai.
- We met Ira and Zoya; the latter is a doctor.
How it works
Few, a few, the few
Few means hardly any and sounds negative. A few means a small number and sounds positive. The few means all of the small number there are; all three go with countable nouns.
The few shops that were open soon ran out of bread.
Little, a little, the little
These follow the same pattern of meaning, but they go with uncountable nouns such as time, money and water.
We still have a little time before the train leaves.
Fewer or less
Use fewer with plural countable nouns and less with uncountable nouns.
Fewer cars means less pollution.
Elder and older, later and latter
Elder and eldest are used for members of a family and are never followed by than; older works for anyone and can take than. Later is about time, while latter means the second of two things already named.
This temple is older than the fort.
Quick reference
| Word | Meaning | Used with | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| few | hardly any | countable nouns | Few people knew the answer. |
| a few | some, a small number | countable nouns | A few people knew the answer. |
| little | hardly any | uncountable nouns | There is little milk left. |
| a little | some, a small amount | uncountable nouns | There is a little milk left. |
| fewer | a smaller number | countable nouns | fewer mistakes |
| less | a smaller amount | uncountable nouns | less noise |
| elder / eldest | older (family only) | relatives; never with than | my eldest aunt |
| older / oldest | having more years | anyone; can take than | the oldest tree in town |
Common mistakes
✕My sister is elder than me.
✓My sister is older than I am.
Elder is never followed by than.
✕There were less people at the fair this year.
✓There were fewer people at the fair this year.
People can be counted, so use fewer.
✕We have very less time.
✓We have very little time.
Time is uncountable here, and very little is the natural phrase for hardly any.
Worked example
Exercise 1
Choose the correct word.
There are ___ biscuits left in the tin. (a few / a little / much)
✓There are a few biscuits left in the tin.
Biscuits can be counted, so a few is correct.
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