ほとんどないほど少数の
解説 Definition
few は可算名詞の直前に置き、「ほとんどないほど少数の」と名詞の数を絞る限定詞です。few options, few friends のように、選択肢・人数・機会などが足りず、状況が厳しいという評価を添える場面でよく使われます。
Few means a small number of people or things. It often suggests that the number is smaller than expected or smaller than desired. It is used with countable nouns, and its meaning is more negative than a few.
覚え方のコツ Memory Tip
few + 複数名詞は、名詞の数を最初から低く見積もる表現として覚えます。Few students answered. なら「答えた生徒が少数だった」だけでなく、「もっといるはずなのに」という不足感まで含みます。a few students なら「数人はいる」と少し安心する響きに変わるので、a の有無が感情の向きを決めます。名詞を省くと代名詞の few になり、Few answered. のように「少数の人」を直接指せます。
Remember `few` with countable nouns, like `few books` or `few friends`. The important memory hook is the contrast with `a few`: without `a`, it feels like not enough; with `a`, it means at least some. Compare it with `little`, which is used for uncountable things.
例文
Few students understood the question.
その質問を理解した生徒はほとんどいなかった。
We have few options left now.
今は選択肢がほとんど残っていない。
Few people can live without water.
水なしで生きられる人はほとんどいない。
少数の人・もの
(意味 2)解説 Definition
few は、前に出た可算の集団を名詞なしで受け、「そのうちの少数」を表す代名詞です。Few knew the truth. のように主語にもなり、few of them では特定の範囲内で少ないことを示します。限定詞用法から名詞が省かれた形と考えられます。
As a pronoun, few refers to a small number of people or things without repeating the noun. It can be the subject, as in statements about how many people know, come, or succeed. In phrases like few of them, it means a small number within a particular group. Unlike a few, few by itself often suggests that the number is smaller than hoped or not enough.
覚え方のコツ Memory Tip
名詞が見えない few は、「少ない人たち・少ないものたち」と頭の中で補うと扱いやすくなります。Several applied, but few were chosen. なら、応募者全体の中で選ばれた人だけが少ない、という対比です。few of the guests のように of を続けると、どの集団から見た少数なのかをはっきり示せます。a few とは違い、few 単独は期待より少ない、十分でないという硬めの響きになりやすい点が合図です。
When you see few without a noun after it, mentally add "people" or "things." That makes it easier to understand sentences like Several applied, but few were chosen: only a small number from the whole group were chosen. In few of the guests, the word of shows clearly which group the small number comes from. Also remember that few alone often sounds more negative than a few, because it suggests less than expected or not enough.
例文
Many people were invited, but few came.
多くの人が招待されたが、来たのは少数だった。
Few knew the truth about what had happened.
何が起きたのか本当のことを知っていた人はほとんどいなかった。
There were hundreds of applications, but only a few were accepted.
何百もの応募があったが、受け入れられたのは少数だけだった。
few の語源・成り立ち Etymology
古英語 fēawe に由来し、さらに印欧祖語の「少ない」を表す語根にさかのぼるとされます。古くから数や量の不足を示す基本語で、現在も日常英語で重要な役割を持つ語です。
"Few" comes from Old English "fēawe" and goes back to an old Indo-European root meaning "small in number." It has long been a basic English word for speaking about small amounts or numbers. Its meaning has stayed very stable through the history of the language.
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