#Other words for comment how to#
#Other words for comment trial#

And the reason we have these debates about ‘a couple’, ‘a few’, and ‘several’ is that we don’t all agree on exactly where the ranges are, in our own use or in common usage around us. But I think these words are not synonyms for 2 and 3 and a bit more than 3, they are ranges that are used to purposely introduce some uncertainty, either because the speaker doesn’t know the exact number or wants to maintain some flexibility or ambiguity. Of course the right answer to these questions is always (i) it depends where you are, as local customs differ, and (ii) the context is also important. If a couple were a synonym for two, it would be a pointless word, the whole point of it being to include more than just 2 (unless you are talking about two things that are always joined together, like 2 people in a close relationship). Since South Korea teaches exclusively Californian English as the only “right” English, I’m guessing that such terms have vaguer meaning in the east coast.

As can be observed in some use cases, these words don’t have determined values: rather, they have a dynamic range of tendencies for some English speakers. They teach it as such in a very deterministic way, and although I’m very much against it, I believe they have a point. I’ve even heard a few of “‘a few’ is equivalent to ‘some’ for countable stuff, okay? It sounds nuts, and English is nuts. It’s taught and examined that while “few” is the antonym of “a lot”, “a few” is similar in meaning with “a lot”. In particular, that “a few” and “few” are different concepts is a very common question in CSAT. This is because it’s within what’s examined in CSAT, which is like the Korean version of SAT but governed and enforced by the government as the primary standard for universities to line applicants up (with much better quality questions but still with horrible output as a primary standard of anything). Whileas in Korea in Korean English education throughout the country–or at least the southern half, this topic is formally covered. However, if you want some wiggle room, you can use “a few,” “some,” or “several,” but realize you and your listener or reader may have different understandings of what those terms mean.

#Other words for comment trial#

For example, there are five reasons why the trial court decision must be overturned. If you’re striving for precision, you might want to specifically list a number. So, the bottom line seems to be this: “a couple” is typically interpreted with some precision to mean “two.” “Many” is the most, but an indeterminate amount. You might many choices, and that suggests far more than choosing between solely A, B, and C. Many: It seems generally accepted, though, that “many,” while having no precise number attached to it, is the greatest in quantity in this list. “Some” might be the same as “a few” or it might be more, inching up to “several.” You might have “several dollars” in your pocket, or you might have “some cash” in your wallet, and those amounts could vary considerably in both your mind and your listener’s/reader’s minds. Some/Several: Again, there is no hard-and-fast rule here. But maybe not.Īs well, depending on the context, “few” (without the “a” preceding it) could mean little to none. And someone who wants to borrow “a few dollars” from you may really only want three or four bucks. So, if you tell someone you’ll be there “in a few minutes,” the two of you might understand that to mean, say, less than five minutes, but one of you might mean something slightly longer. What “a few” means to me might be different than what “a few” means to you. The answer is that there is no hard-and-fast answer. Some insisted “a few” meant three and only three. I’ve asked different people how many they thought the words “a few” referred to. If you have a couple of options, you can safely assume that you will have to choose between A and B, and only A and B.Ī Few: Here’s where things tend to get confusing.

Talking about those posts with some friends prompted this one: what’s the difference between a couple, few, some, several, or many? For example, if someone tells you have a few options, how many do you have? Three? Four? More?Ī couple: Everyone seems to agree that “a couple” means two.

#Other words for comment how to#

In three previous posts ( here, here, and here), I’ve addressed some commonly confused words and how to choose the one that expresses what you really mean.