Choose the correct option:
Sandra is fluent in Italian, French and Spanish. It's quite rare; _______ people can speak several foreign languages.
Choose the correct option:
Sandra is fluent in Italian, French and Spanish. It's quite rare; _______ people can speak several foreign languages.
The correct option is A few
The quantifiers few and a few, and little and a little seem nearly identical but they are actually quite distinct. These expressions show the speaker's attitude towards the quantity he is referring to as either positive or negative.
Positive Attitude:
A few (for countable nouns) and A little (for uncountable nouns) describe the quantity in a positive way, implying that although the speaker may not have much, he has enough. Eg:- I have got a few friends. / I have a little free time on Fridays.
Negative Attitude:
Few (for countable nouns) and Little (for uncountable nouns) describe the quantity in a negative way. They may actually indicate a total lack of the noun, but are more polite than saying so directly. Eg:- Few people visited him in hospital. / I have little time for TV.
This sentence states that there are not many people who can speak several foreign languages fluently. Again 'people' is a countable noun. Hence, Option A, 'few', is correct.
The quantifiers few and a few, and little and a little seem nearly identical but they are actually quite distinct. These expressions show the speaker's attitude towards the quantity he is referring to as either positive or negative.
Positive Attitude:
A few (for countable nouns) and A little (for uncountable nouns) describe the quantity in a positive way, implying that although the speaker may not have much, he has enough. Eg:- I have got a few friends. / I have a little free time on Fridays.
Negative Attitude:
Few (for countable nouns) and Little (for uncountable nouns) describe the quantity in a negative way. They may actually indicate a total lack of the noun, but are more polite than saying so directly. Eg:- Few people visited him in hospital. / I have little time for TV.
This sentence states that there are not many people who can speak several foreign languages fluently. Again 'people' is a countable noun. Hence, Option A, 'few', is correct.
