Few, A Few, The Few

 

“Few”, “a few” and “the few” are used only with uncountable nouns.

 

Few: Not many, hardly any.

Few has a negative meaning.

Examples:

1. Few men are free from faults.

2. Few persons can keep a secret.

3. Few cities in India have the metro train service.

 

A few: Some.

A few has a positive meaning.

Examples:

1. I will be back in a few minutes.

2. There are a few reasons for his failure.

3. We travelled a few miles.

 

The few: Not many, but all there are.

Examples:

1. That music appeals to the few.

2. The few friends he had were all very poor.