很多同学知道这两者最大的区别是：little/a little 后跟不可数名词，而few/a few后跟复数的可数名词。这是这两组词最基本的一个区别。让我们先看些例句加深下印象:

little /a little:

E.g.  We managed to save a little money.
I’ve got so much to do and so little time to do it in.

注意：在作代名词时，指的也是不可数名词:

E.g.  Little has been revealed about his background.
Jordan has lost little of his Irish accent.

few /a few:

E.g.  The pictures were taken at one of his few public appearances.
I’ve turned down a few job offers.

注意：在作代名词时，也指的是可数名词:

E.g.  Few of the retail firms are offering a home delivery service.

She approached several people, but few were interested.

那么问题来了，little和a little之间有什么分别？few和a few呢？

通过以上可以看出，little和a little都可以放在不可数名词前，形容量小，但它们之间的用法区别在于它们所处的语境。

Little用来强调某物比你希望或期待的量要小 (not much; not enough):

E.g.  Unfortunately, there is little hope of finding survivors.

【中文翻译：“不幸的是，我们只有很小的机会找到幸存者。”很显然，作者希望会有更大的机会找到幸存者，然而事实上可能性只有一点。】

E.g.  There has been little change since this morning.

【中文翻译：“自今早事件仅有很小的变化。”这句也隐含较失望的语气。】

A little 用来形容量小（但可能比你期待的要多一点）：

Little用法的第一个例句如果换为a little，在中文理解的时候，意义就大不一样了。

英文原应为:  “Fortunately, there is a little hope of finding survivors.”

中文理解应该是“(尽管事态很严重)幸好，还是有一点希望找回幸存者的。”

E.g.  I had a little money left so I took a taxi.

中文翻译：我当时还剩下些现金，所以我就打车走了。

和以上类似， few和a few的用法也决定于语境。

Few用来强调某物比你希望或期待的量要小 (not many; not enough):

E.g.  At that time, there were few women in management positions.

【中文翻译：“在当时，只有极少的女性担任管理职位。”】

E.g.  There are few sweets left in the jar.

【中文翻译：“罐子里只剩下几粒糖果了。”】

A few 用来形容量小或数小（但可能比你期待的要多一点）:

E.g.  We have a few minutes left in class. Do you have any questions?

【中文翻译：“我们还剩下几分钟，有同学提问吗？”】

E.g.  We’re having a few friends over for dinner.

【中文翻译：“我们今晚要招待些朋友。”】