Few or a few

Lew I might delete "Only a…"
I might've writ, "…while he lived" or "…before his death"

I don't really know the rule or the rationale, so I could well be wrong, but I think the following two sentences would be correct current useage:

1. Only a few critics appreciated...

2. Few critics appreciated.

I believe the difference arises because "few" can be used in either a (relatively) absolute sense or a relative sense.

By "absolute" sense, I mean that "a few" is often used to indicate a small number (at least three, but maybe four or five--its not always specific).

By relative sense I mean something like a small "percentage," say 10%. 10% is a small percentage, but, that said, 10% of 100,000 (potential critics) would still be 10,000 who "appreciated."

"a few" means 3 or 4 generally.

Few, without the "a," is used in a relative sense.

But, again, don't trust me if anything important is at stake. Otherwise, I think if you use it that way, it would be generally understood.

Gotta give you credit, Lay. Possibly are you a teacher

"A few" does not mean any particular number (not 3 or 4 or any other semi-precise quantity). It means "some" or "a handful". The connotation is "not an insignificantly small number, but not an overwhelmingly large number either".

Examples:

"A few of us plan to visit our friend in the hospital later today." [Some of us plan to visit our friend in the hospital later today.]

"You can take a few of the brochures." [You can take some of the brochures.]



"Few" means "virtually none" or "almost zero". The connotation is "an insignificantly small number".

Examples:

"Few of us would rather be sick with a cold than go to work." [Only a small number of us would rather be sick with a cold than go to work.]

"She left the last few pieces of candy for her friend." [She left only a small number of candies for her friend.]



Other words can further modify the meaning of "a few" and "few." For example, "quite a few" changes the meaning of "a few" from some to many: "Quite a few people attended the party." In other words, many people attended the party.

Similarly, "very few" or "only a few" emphasizes just how few things or people are being discussed: "She used very few [or only a few] buttons on her art project." In other words, she didn't use many buttons at all.

Overall, contrex's answer is more complete than, and therefore preferable to, mine, but I don't agree that the word "some" captures the meaning of "few."

You would use "some" in many cases where it would not be appropriate to say "few," at least as far as usage that I'm familiar with goes.

I agree that "few" does not have a precise numerical meaning (more than two, or else you would just say "a couple," but beyond that, nothing very specific). But the I think the connotation is always either "small" or "relatively small." "Some" could mean 80% or 90% (or more) of a thing. "Some" can simply mean "less than ALL." "Few" would NOT be used in such a case (again, as I understand it, but I don't pretend to be any expert).

Of course the OP did not ask for a definition of "few." He asked for guidance when deciding whether to use "a few" versus "few" alone.

I still think that "a few" connotes a particular, even if unstated, number which is small as opposed to merely a small proportion (where the "a" would be dropped).

Therefore, either of the following two sentences could be correct, but they would mean two different things:

1. Few of us would rather be sick with a cold than go to work.

2. A few of us would rather be sick with a cold than go to work."

I didn't say that it did; I said that "some" captures the meaning of the two word phrase "a few". There is a difference between "few" and "a few".

Either could be correct, and, yes, they mean two different things:

1. Few of us would rather be sick with a cold than go to work. [A vanishingly small number of us would rather be sick...]

2. A few of us would rather be sick with a cold than go to work. [some of us would rather be sick...]

"Few" on its own is emphasising the smallness of a very small quantity; "a few" is not.

I suppose we're just talking past each other, but maybe not. Somehow I don't see this statement as being quite right:



To me, that would not necessarily be just a "handful." If the "us" being referred to was all the people on the planet, then the absolute number being implied could still be millions.

Again, to me, this statement would imply that it's "merely a handful" (i.e., an absolute as opposed to a merely proportional number):

"A few of us would rather be sick with a cold than go to work."

Obviously, we disagree. But, for all I know, we're both wrong.

Type "few a few difference" into Google, and read what dictionaries and grammar books and sites have to say.

No. It could not.

OK.

Here's a website that outlines the meaning of "few" that I'm referring to:



Notice that a contrast is implied--not "inherently small," but small compared to something else (expectations in this example). This corresponds to the "few critics appreciated" formulation used in the OP.



Here again, the connotation is simply "relatively small." Compared to other continents, the population in Antarctica is indeed very small, but it is not a small number in any absolute sense (like 3, 4, or 5). The number of people "there" (primarily scientists) numbers in the thousands.

http://getintoenglish.com/english-grammar-a-few-and-few/#sthash.H8Dok0j2.dpuf

I also saw the website which you quoted virtually verbatim, and it does indeed say what you said. But where I'm from, the word is not necessarily restricted to what that source says (although it can be used in that sense).

Lay, Con, I'm deeply impressed and wondering what you fellas have in common, hoping I might catch some of it

Dale, I'm not sure we really have anything in common. It seems to me that contrex will always find a way to disagree with almost anything I say. According him I am "austisic" and people like me are "a dime a dozen," if I recall his characterizations of me correctly.

What I'd like to catch, Lay, is that unremitting willingness to persist

Heh, Dale, from what I've seen, that is one quality which you are NOT lacking.