【问】 few意为“很少”,“几乎没有”,具有否定意义,quite a few是否也表示“很少”,具有否定意义呢?
【答】 quite a few表示“相当多”的意思,没有否定意义,相当于a good few。a very few才表示“很少”的意思,具有否定意义。例如:
1. There were quite a few students absent from class today. (Whitford)
今天有好多学生缺课。
2. You’ll have to wait a good few weeks. (LDCE)
你必须等好几个星期。
3. A:Have you seen many houses for sale?
B: No,I’ve seen only a very few. (CGEL)
A:你看到有很多房屋出售吗?
B:没有,我没有看到有什么房屋要出售。
(参见a good few)