DETERMINER, QUANTIFIER, AND ADVERB USES 限定词、量词和副词用法
- DET (数量上)微少的,少到几乎没有的(可用so,too,very修饰)
You use little to indicate that there is only a very small amount of something. You can use 'so', 'too', and 'very' in front of little.
- I had little money and little free time...
我没什么钱,也没多少空闲时间。 - I find that I need very little sleep these days...
我发现最近我只需要睡很少时间。 - There is little doubt that a diet high in fibre is more satisfying...
毫无疑问,高纤维的饮食更尽人意。 - So far little progress has been made towards ending the fighting...
到目前为止,在结束交战方面还没取得什么进展。 - The pudding is quick and easy and needs little attention once in the oven.
这种布丁做起来简单快捷,放到烤箱里之后就不用操什么心了。 - Little is also a quantifier.
- Little of the existing housing is of good enough quality...
现有的住房几乎少有质量过关的。 - They claim that little of the $16.5 million dollars in aid sent by the US government has reached them.
他们声称美国政府提供的1,650万美元资助到他们手上时已所剩无几。 - Little is also a pronoun.
- He ate little, and drank less...
他没吃什么东西,更没喝什么。 - In general, employers do little to help the single working mother...
一般而言,雇主很少为工作的单亲妈妈提供帮助。 - Little is known about his childhood.
对他的童年所知甚少。
- ADV-GRADED (频率或程度)微小地,小到几乎没有地
Little means not very often or to only a small extent.
- On their way back to Marseille they spoke very little...
返回马赛的路上,他们没怎么说话。 - Only Africa is at present little affected by hard drugs.
目前只有非洲没怎么受到硬毒品的影响。
- DET (数量上)不多的(亦作a very little)
A little of something is a small amount of it, but not very much. You can also say a very little.
- Mrs Caan needs a little help getting her groceries home...
卡安太太需要有人帮把手将食品杂货拿回家。 - A little food would do us all some good...
吃点东西,对我们大家都会有好处。 - ...a little light reading...
一点消遣性的阅读 - I shall be only a very little time.
我很快就好。 - Little is also a pronoun.
- They get paid for it. Not much. Just a little.
他们干这是有报酬的。不多,只有一点。 - Little is also a quantifier.
- Pour a little of the sauce over the chicken...
在鸡肉上浇一点调味汁。 - I'm sure she won't mind sparing us a little of her time.
我肯定她不会介意为我们抽点时间。
- ADV-GRADED 短时间地;一会儿地
If you do something a little, you do it for a short time.
- He walked a little by himself in the garden.
他一个人在花园里散了一会儿步。
- ADV-GRADED (程度上)一点地,少量地
A little or a little bit means to a small extent or degree.
- He complained a little of a nagging pain between his shoulder blades...
他有几句提到说肩胛骨之间一直在疼。 - He was a little bit afraid of his father's reaction...
他有点害怕父亲的反应。 - If you have to drive when you are tired, go a little more slowly than you would normally...
如果不得不疲劳驾驶,那就开得比平时慢一点。 - He wanted to have someone to whom he could talk a little about himself.
他希望能有人听他说说关于自己的一些事。
- PHRASE 逐渐地;一点一点地
If something happens little by little, it happens very gradually.
- In the beginning he had felt well, but little by little he was becoming weaker...
一开始他感觉很好,但慢慢地就变虚弱了。 - I would have to learn, little by little, to exist alone.
我得慢慢学会独自生活。
You can use the adjective little to talk about things that are small. ...a little house. ...little children. However, little is not normally used to emphasize or draw attention to the fact that something is small. For instance, you do not usually say 'The town is little' or 'I have a very little car', but you can say The town is small' or I have a very small car'. Little is a less precise word than small, and may be used to suggest the speaker's feelings or attitude towards the person or thing being described. For that reason, little is often used after another adjective. What a nice little house you've got here!... Shut up, you horrible little boy! Little and a little are both used as determiners in front of uncount nouns, but they do not have the same meaning. For example, if you say 'I have a little money', this is a positive statement and you are saying that you have some money. However, if you say 'I have little money', this is a negative statement and you are saying that you have almost no money.
little作形容词时表示“小的”,如:a little house(小房子),little children(小孩子)。但little一般不用于强调某物之小,如通常不会说 The town is little或 I have a very little car, 但可以说The town is small(这个城镇很小)或 I have a very small car(我有一辆很小的汽车)。little不如small精确,而且可用于表示说话人对于所谈论的人或物的感情或态度。因而,little常跟在另一个形容词之后,如:What a nice little house you've got here(你这小房子真漂亮啊),Shut up, you horrible little boy(闭嘴,你这个讨厌的小家伙)。little和a little都可用作限定词修饰不可数名词,但其含义不同。例如,I have a little money(我有一点钱)是肯定陈述,表示有一些钱,而I have little money(我没什么钱)是否定陈述,表示几乎没钱。
ADJECTIVE USES 形容词用法
The comparative littler and the superlative littlest are sometimes used in spoken English for meanings 1, 3, and 4, but otherwise the comparative and superlative forms of the adjective little are not used.
口语中义项1、3、4有时用比较级littler和最高级littlest,但除此之外little作形容词时都不用比较级和最高级。
- ADJ-GRADED 小的(比small略欠正式)
Little things are small in size. Little is slightly more informal than small .
- We sat around a little table, eating and drinking wine.
我们围坐在一张小桌旁吃吃喝喝。 - ...the little group of art students.
那一小群艺术专业的学生
- ADJ 娇小的;小巧的
You use little to indicate that someone or something is small, in a pleasant and attractive way.
- She's got the nicest little house not far from the library.
她有一幢非常漂亮的小房子,就在离图书馆不远处。 - ...a little old lady...
身材娇小的老太太 - James usually drives a little hatchback.
詹姆斯通常开一辆小巧的掀背车。
- ADJ-GRADED 幼小的
A little child is young.
- I have a little boy of 8...
我有一个8岁的小男孩。 - When I was little I was very hyperactive.
我小时候异常好动。
- ADJ (兄弟或姐妹)年纪较小的
Your little sister or brother is younger than you are.
- Whenever Daniel's little sister was asked to do something she always had a naughty reply.
每次让丹尼尔的妹妹做什么事,她总是要淘气地回嘴。
- ADJ-GRADED (距离、时间、事件等)短的
A little distance, period of time, or event is short in length.
- Just go down the road a little way, turn left, and cross the bridge...
沿这条路走一小段,向左转,然后过桥。 - Why don't we just wait a little while and see what happens...
为什么不再等一下看看事态的发展。 - I've been wanting to have a little talk with you.
我一直想找机会跟你谈几句。
- ADJ-GRADED (声音、手势等)快速的
A little sound or gesture is quick.
- I had a little laugh to myself...
我自顾自地笑了一下。 - She stood up quickly, giving a little cry of astonishment...
她迅速站了起来,惊叫了一声。 - He turned with a little nod and I watched him walk away.
他边点了点头边转过身,我看着他走了。
- ADJ 微不足道的;细小的;琐碎的
You use little to indicate that something is not serious or important.
- ...irritating little habits...
烦人的小毛病 - Harry found himself getting angry over little things that had never bothered him before.
哈里发现自己会因为小事而生气,而以前他从不会在意这些事情。