Study the sentences below. What is the difference between few and a few, little and a little?

1. "Few" means almost none or hardly any, while "a few" means a small number, but still some.

• In sentence 1a, the speaker is expressing a desire for more high-tech gadgets because they currently have hardly any of them.
• In sentence 1b, the speaker is expressing affection for the high-tech gadgets they currently have, even though the number is small.

2. Similarly, "little" means almost none or hardly any, while "a little" means a small amount, but still some.

• In sentence 2a, the speaker is indicating that they don't have much time for computer games.
• In sentence 2b, the speaker is expressing that they have some time available for a computer game and suggesting that they play one.