Few vs. A few / Little vs. A little – English Grammar Exercises for B1
You are writing a highly critical review on a travel website because the hotel staff ignored your complaints about a broken air conditioner. Choose the correct quantifier (A, B, C, or D) to complete your review naturally.
1 I usually write very ______ negative reviews, but my experience at this hotel was completely unacceptable.
(A) a few
(B) few
(C) a little
(D) little
2 When we arrived, the lobby was hot, but we still had ______ hope that our room would be nice and cool.
(A) a few
(B) few
(C) a little
(D) little
3 Unfortunately, when we opened the door, we felt very ______ cold air coming from the AC unit.
(A) a few
(B) few
(C) a little
(D) little
4 We gave it ______ minutes to start working properly, but we quickly realized it was completely broken.
(A) a few
(B) few
(C) a little
(D) little
5 I went to the front desk to complain, but the receptionist showed very ______ interest in my problem.
(A) a few
(B) few
(C) a little
(D) little
6 She was staring at her smartphone and paid ______ attention to what I was saying.
(A) a few
(B) few
(C) a little
(D) little
7 I was absolutely shocked because she made ______ effort to apologize for the inconvenience.
(A) a few
(B) few
(C) a little
(D) little
8 Instead of helping me, she just typed ______ words on her computer keyboard and sighed loudly.
(A) a few
(B) few
(C) a little
(D) little
9 She rudely told me that there were very ______ maintenance workers on duty late at night.
(A) a few
(B) few
(C) a little
(D) little
10 I asked her for a desk fan, but she said they only had ______ spare fans and they were already taken.
(A) a few
(B) few
(C) a little
(D) little
11 I demanded a new room. She rolled her eyes and claimed there were very ______ empty rooms left in the building.
(A) a few
(B) few
(C) a little
(D) little
12 After arguing for a while, she finally gave us ______ options, but both rooms were on the noisy ground floor.
(A) a few
(B) few
(C) a little
(D) little
13 We were exhausted from our flight, so we had ______ choice but to accept one of the noisy rooms.
(A) a few
(B) few
(C) a little
(D) little
14 To make matters worse, the hotel offered very ______ compensation for this massive disappointment.
(A) a few
(B) few
(C) a little
(D) little
15 They eventually gave us a voucher for a free drink, but that provided very ______ comfort to us.
(A) a few
(B) few
(C) a little
(D) little
16 We got very ______ sleep that night because the traffic outside our ground-floor window was incredibly loud.
(A) a few
(B) few
(C) a little
(D) little
17 In the morning, I saw ______ other guests at the reception desk complaining about the exact same issue!
(A) a few
(B) few
(C) a little
(D) little
18 I honestly believe that very ______ hotels in this city have such unprofessional and lazy staff.
(A) a few
(B) few
(C) a little
(D) little
19 That receptionist clearly needs ______ extra training in basic hospitality and customer service.
(A) a few
(B) few
(C) a little
(D) little
20 Do yourself a favor: spend ______ extra dollars and book a much better hotel!
(A) a few
(B) few
(C) a little
(D) little
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (B) few
Why it is correct: “Reviews” is a plural countable noun. The writer means they write almost zero negative reviews. The word “very” emphasizes this lack. Negative countable = “few”.
2 (C) a little
Why it is correct: “Hope” is an uncountable noun. They had some hope remaining when they arrived (a positive feeling). Positive uncountable = “a little”.
3 (D) little
Why it is correct: “Cold air” is uncountable. The AC was broken, meaning there was almost zero cold air (a negative shortage). Negative uncountable = “little”.
4 (A) a few
Why it is correct: “Minutes” is a plural countable noun. They waited some minutes to see if it would work. Positive countable = “a few”.
5 (D) little
Why it is correct: “Interest” is an abstract, uncountable noun. The receptionist showed almost zero interest (a highly negative attitude). Negative uncountable = “little”.
6 (D) little
Why it is correct: “Attention” is an uncountable noun. Paying almost zero attention is a negative behavior. Negative uncountable = “little”.
7 (D) little
Why it is correct: “Effort” is uncountable. She made almost zero effort to apologize. Negative uncountable = “little”.
8 (A) a few
Why it is correct: “Words” is a plural countable noun. She typed some words. Positive/neutral countable = “a few”.
9 (B) few
Why it is correct: “Workers” is a plural countable noun. There were almost zero maintenance staff working, which is a negative situation. The word “very” triggers the negative form. Negative countable = “few”.
10 (A) a few
Why it is correct: “Spare fans” is a plural countable noun. The hotel originally had some fans (a small but real amount). The word “only” frequently pairs with “a few” or “a little”. Positive countable = “a few”.
11 (B) few
Why it is correct: “Rooms” is a plural countable noun. She claimed there were almost zero empty rooms left (a negative shortage). Negative countable = “few”.
12 (A) a few
Why it is correct: “Options” is a plural countable noun. She finally provided some options (maybe 2 or 3). Positive countable = “a few”.
13 (D) little
Why it is correct: “Choice” is an abstract, uncountable noun in this context. The phrase “we had little choice” is a fixed English expression meaning “we had almost zero alternatives.” Negative uncountable = “little”.
14 (D) little
Why it is correct: “Compensation” is an uncountable noun. The hotel offered almost zero compensation for the ruined night. Negative uncountable = “little”.
15 (D) little
Why it is correct: “Comfort” is uncountable. The cheap drink voucher provided almost zero comfort or satisfaction. Negative uncountable = “little”.
16 (D) little
Why it is correct: “Sleep” is uncountable. Because of the noise, they got almost zero sleep. Negative uncountable = “little”.
17 (A) a few
Why it is correct: “Guests” is a plural countable noun. The writer saw some other guests complaining (a visible, positive amount of people). Positive countable = “a few”.
18 (B) few
Why it is correct: “Hotels” is a plural countable noun. The writer means almost zero hotels are this bad. The word “very” triggers the negative form. Negative countable = “few”.
19 (C) a little
Why it is correct: “Training” is uncountable. The receptionist needs some extra training to improve. Positive uncountable = “a little”.
20 (A) a few
Why it is correct: “Dollars” is a plural countable noun. The writer advises people to spend some extra money for a better experience. Positive countable = “a few”.
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
1 Complaining with “Little” :
- In English, you can effectively complain about someone’s bad attitude or laziness by using Little with abstract uncountable nouns.
- It carries a strong, negative accusation that the person did absolutely nothing to help you.
- Example: “She showed little interest in my problem.”
- Example: “He made little effort to help me.”
- Example: “They paid little attention.”
2 The Phrase “Have little choice” :
- A great B1/B2 idiom to remember is “to have little choice but to…“.
- It means you are trapped in a bad situation and have almost zero alternatives.
- Example: “It was raining heavily, so we had little choice but to stay inside.”
3 The Modifiers (“Very” vs. “Only”):
- Very + Few / Little: Highlights a negative lack or shortage (Almost zero).
- Only + A few / A little: Highlights that a small amount still exists (Just some).