Few vs. A few / Little vs. A little – English Grammar Exercises for B1
You are trying to bake a birthday cake for your friend, but you just realized you are missing crucial ingredients. You are complaining to your roommate and planning an urgent trip to the supermarket. Choose the correct quantifier (A, B, C, or D) to complete the conversation naturally.
1 “Oh no! I wanted to bake the birthday cake right now, but there is very ______ sugar left in the jar!”
(A) a few
(B) few
(C) a little
(D) little
2 “Look at this! There is so ______ flour in the bag that I can’t even make a single pancake, let alone a whole cake.”
(A) a few
(B) few
(C) a little
(D) little
3 “I am so frustrated. I have very ______ patience left for this kind of stress today.”
(A) a few
(B) few
(C) a little
(D) little
4 “Could you check the fridge for me? We need at least ______ eggs for the cake batter.”
(A) a few
(B) few
(C) a little
(D) little
5 “I just checked. Unfortunately, there are very ______ eggs left—only one, actually!”
(A) a few
(B) few
(C) a little
(D) little
6 “This is a complete disaster. We have ______ time before the birthday party starts!”
(A) a few
(B) few
(C) a little
(D) little
7 “Wait, don’t panic yet. I found ______ milk in the back of the fridge. Is it enough?”
(A) a few
(B) few
(C) a little
(D) little
8 “No, we need a full cup. And look, there are ______ strawberries left in this box, and they are all rotten!”
(A) a few
(B) few
(C) a little
(D) little
9 “Well, I have ______ money in my jacket pocket. Should I run to the supermarket right now?”
(A) a few
(B) few
(C) a little
(D) little
10 “Yes, please! But you must hurry, because there is very ______ daylight left and the local store closes at sunset.”
(A) a few
(B) few
(C) a little
(D) little
11 “Can you also buy ______ birthday candles while you are at the store?”
(A) a few
(B) few
(C) a little
(D) little
12 “I’ll try, but I have ______ hope that the small convenience store on the corner will sell candles.”
(A) a few
(B) few
(C) a little
(D) little
13 “If they don’t have candles, just buy ______ chocolate chips so we can decorate the top of the cake.”
(A) a few
(B) few
(C) a little
(D) little
14 “Okay, I will write that down. Do we need butter? There is very ______ butter left in this wrapper.”
(A) a few
(B) few
(C) a little
(D) little
15 “Yes, grab some butter. I also need ______ vanilla extract to make the cake smell good.”
(A) a few
(B) few
(C) a little
(D) little
16 “Got it. I am leaving right now. Just give me ______ minutes to put on my shoes and grab my keys.”
(A) a few
(B) few
(C) a little
(D) little
17 “Please run! There is ______ room for mistakes now if we want to finish baking this on time.”
(A) a few
(B) few
(C) a little
(D) little
18 “I know, I know! Very ______ people could bake a perfect cake in just one hour, but we will try our best.”
(A) a few
(B) few
(C) a little
(D) little
19 “Exactly. We just need ______ luck and a fast oven to pull this off!”
(A) a few
(B) few
(C) a little
(D) little
20 “Don’t worry, I will be back in a flash. There is usually very ______ traffic on Sunday evenings, so I will be fast.”
(A) a few
(B) few
(C) a little
(D) little
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (D) little
Why it is correct: “Sugar” is an uncountable noun. The speaker is complaining about an empty jar (a negative shortage). A negative lack of an uncountable noun requires “little”. (Note: The word “very” almost always signals the negative forms “few” or “little”).
2 (D) little
Why it is correct: “Flour” is uncountable. The phrase “can’t even make a single pancake” highlights a severe, negative shortage.
3 (D) little
Why it is correct: “Patience” is an abstract, uncountable noun. The speaker is frustrated and has almost zero patience left. Negative meaning = “little”.
4 (A) a few
Why it is correct: “Eggs” is a plural countable noun. The speaker is stating a requirement (we need some eggs). Because they are asking for a sufficient amount to bake, the positive/neutral “a few” is used.
5 (B) few
Why it is correct: “Eggs” is countable. The phrase “only one, actually” shows that the amount is almost zero and definitely not enough. Negative meaning = “few”.
6 (D) little
Why it is correct: “Time” is uncountable. “This is a complete disaster” clearly sets a negative tone, meaning there is almost zero time left.
7 (C) a little
Why it is correct: “Milk” is an uncountable liquid. The roommate says “Wait, don’t panic,” indicating they found some milk (a positive discovery, even if it’s a small amount). Positive uncountable = “a little”.
8 (B) few
Why it is correct: “Strawberries” is countable. They are “all rotten”, meaning there are basically zero good ones left. Negative meaning = “few”.
9 (C) a little
Why it is correct: “Money” is uncountable. The roommate offers to go to the store because they have some money (enough to help). Positive uncountable = “a little”.
10 (D) little
Why it is correct: “Daylight” is uncountable. You must hurry because the sunlight is almost completely gone (negative shortage).
11 (A) a few
Why it is correct: “Candles” is countable. The speaker wants the roommate to buy some candles (a sufficient, positive amount).
12 (D) little
Why it is correct: “Hope” is an abstract, uncountable noun. The roommate says “I’ll try, but…” which means they have almost zero confidence the store will have candles. Negative meaning = “little”.
13 (A) a few
Why it is correct: “Chocolate chips” is countable. The speaker wants some chips to decorate the cake. Positive meaning = “a few”.
14 (D) little
Why it is correct: “Butter” is uncountable. The modifier “very” and the need to buy more indicate there is almost zero butter left. Negative meaning = “little”.
15 (C) a little
Why it is correct: “Vanilla extract” is an uncountable liquid. The recipe requires some vanilla to make it smell good (a positive requirement).
16 (A) a few
Why it is correct: “Minutes” is countable. The roommate just needs some time (2 or 3 minutes) to get ready. Positive meaning = “a few”.
17 (D) little
Why it is correct: “Room” (meaning space or margin) is uncountable here. “There is little room for mistakes” is a common idiom meaning you have exactly zero chances to mess up.
18 (B) few
Why it is correct: “People” is a plural countable noun. The speaker means that almost nobody can bake a cake this fast. Negative meaning = “few”.
19 (C) a little
Why it is correct: “Luck” is uncountable. They need some luck (a positive addition) to succeed.
20 (D) little
Why it is correct: “Traffic” is uncountable. The roommate will be fast because there is almost zero traffic on the roads (a lack of traffic, expressed negatively as “very little”).
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
1 The Difference in Grammar (Countable vs. Uncountable):
- Use (A) Few with Plural Countable Nouns (things you can count with numbers: eggs, candles, minutes, friends).
- Use (A) Little with Uncountable Nouns (liquids, powders, abstract ideas: sugar, milk, time, patience, money).
2 The Difference in Meaning (Positive vs. Negative):
- With “A” (A few / A little) = Positive. It means “some.” Even though the amount is small, you are happy about it, or it is enough to do what you want.
- Example: “I found a little sugar!” (Great! We can bake).
- Without “A” (Few / Little) = Negative. It means “almost zero” or “not enough.” You are complaining, panicked, or pointing out a severe shortage.
- Example: “There is little sugar left.” (Oh no! The jar is empty, we cannot bake).
3 The “Very” Trick:
- In English exams, if you see the word “very” right before the blank, the answer is almost always the negative form (few or little).
- Example: There is very little time. There are very few eggs.