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[polilara]

If I have 'few money' or 'a few money' what is the difference or are both sentences wrong, is what
my doughter asked, Yes we live in Finland and just would like to understand this difficult word..

[Field Marshal Dr. Opti]

I say I have little money so therefore I am piss poor.

[GastronomicKleptomaniac]

Not that English is overcomplicated (!) But "few" is usually for a small number of single items. For example "I have a few chips left" or "few people work in this office".

Something that is a quantity like money or liquid is usually "less". Such as "that car has less power than mine" or "my car has less petrol in than my wife's".

Hope this helps.

(To add to the confusion, the word "more" can be used in both examples. Either "I have more crisps than you" or "that car has more oil in than this one")

[Varche]

Few people understand the difference between having little money or no money . It is , of course, better to have lots of money. However n society few people have lots of money, many people have little money. I am one of the few with just enough money..

You could say you have hardly any money or you have very little money.

[Andy B]

What about at the supermarket ..... 10 items or less? Should apparently be 10 items or fewer 

[polilara]

My daughter enjoys this discussion, please continue, she is clever (drives Astra) I have Omega...

[Sir Tigger KC]

If I have 'few money' or 'a few money' what is the difference or are both sentences wrong, is what
my doughter asked, Yes we live in Finland and just would like to understand this difficult word..

Both sentences are wrong.

You would say "I have hardly any money" , "I don't have any money" or the slang... "I'm skint!" , "I'm brassic" or "I'm potless"  as in Lord Optis example "I haven't a pot to piss in"

Few is an adjective for a small amount of things EG "I have a few apples, but a lot of oranges." 

https://www.dictionary.com/browse/few

One of Winston Churchill's most famous speeches was when he praised the RAF pilots who fought The Battle Of Britain against Germany's Luftwaffe in WW2, and the iconic phrase was "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few". Those WW2 RAF fighter pilots have since and will forever be known as 'The Few'  

[STEMO]

Few is usually followed by a term in the plural, as 'a few' is more than one. A few pounds, a few bits, a few cars. Whilst a few monies sounds grammatically correct, it is a very unusual combination of words and I cannot think of any sentence I could place it in. A 'money' is not really a term one would use, so to pluralise it is wrong.

From the internet:
Is the word monies grammatically correct?
The regular plural form of the noun is moneys. However, monies, an irregular plural form (irregular because it does not follow normal rules for forming plurals), is also common in legal documents and banking. Both of these are correct: The moneys should be disbursed.

[STEMO]

However...'a pony' in the singular can be 'a few ponies' in the plural.

Who said English was not difficult? 

[STEMO]

A simpler way to put it would that, although as few monies' sounds grammatically correct, there is reall no such thing as 'a money', because money means a collection of things in its singular form, so you are trying to pluralise something which already means 'more than one'.

[Lizzie Zoom]

However...'a pony' in the singular can be 'a few ponies' in the plural.

Who said English was not difficult? 

Or in good old Cockney £25, but then you do not say a "few ponies".  You say "a ton" for £100, or "a monkey" for £500! But all that would really start to confuse anyone outside London!

[Bigron]

Pony also means cr*p in Cockney, as in "pony and trap" - just to add to the confusion!

Ron.

[polilara]

Cockney, Yes from School in 70's I remember 'Spoon and Knife' meaning 'Wife'

[Bigron]

More usually "Trouble and Strife" - more appropriate, too!

Ron.

[Bigron]

Oh, and also "My old Dutch" = Duchess of Fife - wife.

Ron.

[Sir Tigger KC]

An English Lesson With Little Johnnie!

The teacher asked the class to use the word “fascinate” in a sentence.

Molly put up her hand and said, “My family went to my granddad's farm, and we all saw his pet sheep. It was fascinating."

The teacher said, “That was good, but I wanted you to use the word ‘fascinate,’ not 'fascinating'.”

Sally raised her hand. She said, “My family went to see Rock City and I was fascinated.”

The teacher said, “Well, that was good Sally, but I wanted you to use the word ‘fascinate’.”

Little Johnny raised his hand, but the teacher hesitated because she had been burned by Little Johnny before. She finally decided there was no way he could damage the word “fascinate,” so she called on him.

Johnny said, “My aunt Carolyn has a sweater with ten buttons, but her tits are so big she can only fasten eight!”

The teacher sat down and cried.

[STEMO]

  Little Johnny should be excluded.

[Nick W]

What about at the supermarket ..... 10 items or less? Should apparently be 10 items or fewer 

it relates to count or measure quantities. If you can put a number on it, then 'fewer' is grammatically correct - less money, fewer coins. The distinction exists, so getting it right can be good for your credibility in certain circumstances; a published paper would be a good example.

[Field Marshal Dr. Opti]

However...'a pony' in the singular can be 'a few ponies' in the plural.

Who said English was not difficult? 

Or in good old Cockney £25, but then you do not say a "few ponies".  You say "a ton" for £100, or "a monkey" for £500! But all that would really start to confuse anyone outside London!

I can never understand why the word things is pronounced 'fings'.... and three is pronounced 'free'. Is there a reason for this or is it just a case of 'lazy speech'?

[Lizzie Zoom]

However...'a pony' in the singular can be 'a few ponies' in the plural.

Who said English was not difficult? 

Or in good old Cockney £25, but then you do not say a "few ponies".  You say "a ton" for £100, or "a monkey" for £500! But all that would really start to confuse anyone outside London!

I can never understand why the word things is pronounced 'fings'.... and three is pronounced 'free'. Is there a reason for this or is it just a case of 'lazy speech'?

It is like "barf" for bath or "larf" for laugh and many other examples which are common in South East London as well as the East End.  It is just everyday language that people just 'do'.  Rather like the Bristolians add "l" after any word ending in "a" ; idea becomes "ideal", area becomes "areal" and Cortina was always "Cortinal"

I class it as Regional accent differences, as you will find in Geordie or Liverpudlian.  All great stuff, and shows our individuality as people from different parts.

[Andy B]

However...'a pony' in the singular can be 'a few ponies' in the plural.

Who said English was not difficult? 

Or in good old Cockney £25, but then you do not say a "few ponies".  You say "a ton" for £100, or "a monkey" for £500! But all that would really start to confuse anyone outside London!

I can never understand why the word things is pronounced 'fings'.... and three is pronounced 'free'. Is there a reason for this or is it just a case of 'lazy speech'?

It is like "barf" for bath or "larf" for laugh and many other examples which are common in South East London as well as the East End.  It is just everyday language that people just 'do'.  Rather like the Bristolians add "l" after any word ending in "a" ; idea becomes "ideal", area becomes "areal" and Cortina was always "Cortinal"

I class it as Regional accent differences, as you will find in Geordie or Liverpudlian.  All great stuff, and shows our individuality as people from different parts.

If we're having fs for ths then it's baff & laff ......  No R in bath or laugh 

fs instead of ths gets right on my t1ts but it's become very common up here up and around here. My grand daughter's Mum does it so consequently Chloe says it too ..... she gets corrected but I think gets confused over it (she is only four  )

[STEMO]

However...'a pony' in the singular can be 'a few ponies' in the plural.

Who said English was not difficult? 

Or in good old Cockney £25, but then you do not say a "few ponies".  You say "a ton" for £100, or "a monkey" for £500! But all that would really start to confuse anyone outside London!

I can never understand why the word things is pronounced 'fings'.... and three is pronounced 'free'. Is there a reason for this or is it just a case of 'lazy speech'?

It is like "barf" for bath or "larf" for laugh and many other examples which are common in South East London as well as the East End.  It is just everyday language that people just 'do'.  Rather like the Bristolians add "l" after any word ending in "a" ; idea becomes "ideal", area becomes "areal" and Cortina was always "Cortinal"

I class it as Regional accent differences, as you will find in Geordie or Liverpudlian.  All great stuff, and shows our individuality as people from different parts.

If we're having fs for ths then it's baff & laff ......  No R in bath or laugh 

fs instead of ths gets right on my t1ts but it's become very common up here up and around here. My grand daughter's Mum does it so consequently Chloe says it too ..... she gets corrected but I think gets confused over it (she is only four  )

You mean your daughter in law then? 

[STEMO]

Unless it's your daughter 

[Andy B]

....
You mean your daughter in law then? 

Not really as my grand daughter's Mum & Dad are no longer together ....

consequently Chloe gets passed from pillar to post 

[Lizzie Zoom]

However...'a pony' in the singular can be 'a few ponies' in the plural.

Who said English was not difficult? 

Or in good old Cockney £25, but then you do not say a "few ponies".  You say "a ton" for £100, or "a monkey" for £500! But all that would really start to confuse anyone outside London!

I can never understand why the word things is pronounced 'fings'.... and three is pronounced 'free'. Is there a reason for this or is it just a case of 'lazy speech'?

It is like "barf" for bath or "larf" for laugh and many other examples which are common in South East London as well as the East End.  It is just everyday language that people just 'do'.  Rather like the Bristolians add "l" after any word ending in "a" ; idea becomes "ideal", area becomes "areal" and Cortina was always "Cortinal"

I class it as Regional accent differences, as you will find in Geordie or Liverpudlian.  All great stuff, and shows our individuality as people from different parts.

If we're having fs for ths then it's baff & laff ......  No R in bath or laugh 

fs instead of ths gets right on my t1ts but it's become very common up here up and around here. My grand daughter's Mum does it so consequently Chloe says it too ..... she gets corrected but I think gets confused over it (she is only four  )

"R's" were, and are, definitely present in my part of a South London family, and where I lived for a number of years with an Eastender mum, but a South London boyfriend until he became my husband, so I do know! My father was true South London, from Bermondsey, and he was a master at talking with the true local accent and pronunciations, along with often using Cockney slang, although he was not an Eastender, or born within the sound of Bow Bells.  My mum could not claim that, but both my grandmother and great grandmother certainly could and spoke Cockney slang! 

Otherwise "Baff", for instance, would never be recognised as a version of bath.  The secret is that the normal "th" is never pronounced without the sound of "rf" at the end of the word. In other words the tongue is not put between the teeth, but kept within the mouth when pronouncing words ending "th".  Hence, bath is pronounced as "barf"

[Andy B]

....

"R's" were, and are, definitely present in my part of a South London family, and where I lived for a number of years with an Eastender mum, but a South London boyfriend until he became my husband, so I do know! My father was true South London, from Bermondsey, and he was a master at talking with the true local accent and pronunciations, along with often using Cockney slang, although he was not an Eastender, or born within the sound of Bow Bells.  My mum could not claim that, but both my grandmother and great grandmother certainly could and spoke Cockney slang! 

Otherwise "Baff", for instance, would never be recognised as a version of bath.  The secret is that the normal "th" is never pronounced without the sound of "rf" at the end of the word. In other words the tongue is not put between the teeth, but kept within the mouth when pronouncing words ending "th"

 
Just  a Norff north Souff South thing 

[Lizzie Zoom]

....

"R's" were, and are, definitely present in my part of a South London family, and where I lived for a number of years with an Eastender mum, but a South London boyfriend until he became my husband, so I do know! My father was true South London, from Bermondsey, and he was a master at talking with the true local accent and pronunciations, along with often using Cockney slang, although he was not an Eastender, or born within the sound of Bow Bells.  My mum could not claim that, but both my grandmother and great grandmother certainly could and spoke Cockney slang! 

Otherwise "Baff", for instance, would never be recognised as a version of bath.  The secret is that the normal "th" is never pronounced without the sound of "rf" at the end of the word. In other words the tongue is not put between the teeth, but kept within the mouth when pronouncing words ending "th"

 
Just  a Norff north Souff South thing 

Yep, that it is and great it is too!

Imagine if we ALL spoke that "proper" English you can still hear if you watch the old newsreels of the 1940's and hear the public broadcasting of the 1950's?!  Even people being interviewed, that are truly proud working class, put on voices they would never use day to day!

[STEMO]

....
You mean your daughter in law then? 

Not really as my grand daughter's Mum & Dad are no longer together ....

consequently Chloe gets passed from pillar to post 

Oh.....sorry 

[BazaJT]

Don't posh people have a barth and put an "R" into several other words that don't have one in their spelling?It's often said[although I don't know if it's true]that Cockney rhyming slang came about to confuse the Irish immigrant workers of the time.My mother -who didn't speak with a broad Yorkshire accent-still nonetheless had a "telephone voice" when first answering the phone and which she kept up unless it was someone she found she knew.

[Lizzie Zoom]

Don't posh people have a barth and put an "R" into several other words that don't have one in their spelling?It's often said[although I don't know if it's true]that Cockney rhyming slang came about to confuse the Irish immigrant workers of the time.My mother -who didn't speak with a broad Yorkshire accent-still nonetheless had a "telephone voice" when first answering the phone and which she kept up unless it was someone she found she knew.

I’ve mentioned my Eastenders mum, well at the end of the war she trained and then worked as a GPO telephonist.  She ended up having a voice just like those perfectly speaking women in the early broadcasting days on the BBC. However, the fact she had now a trained “Queen’s English” voice so annoyed my Nan and great Nan. They considered that she had forgotten her roots, betrayed her Eastenders beginnings, and thought she was above everyone! I remember well my Nan in particular moaning about my mum’s falseness!

Funny days!

[Andy B]

....
Oh.....sorry 

  you weren't know 

[Doctor Gollum]

....
Oh.....sorry 

  you weren't know 

He knows...

[Andy B]

....
Oh.....sorry 

  you weren't know 

He knows...

I obviously meant to post  .... you weren't to know 

[78bex]

 I`ll feed me `orse with some `ay from that vield.  As a kid I used to stay with my great uncle  close to the New Forest.  I rarely here that Hampshire accent now that my Mum has passed 

[Doctor Gollum]

You're the wrong end of Ampshire

[Sir Tigger KC]

He's right though in that regional accents are disappearing. You rarely hear anyone speaking proper Darzet or Deben round here anymore. 

[Lizzie Zoom]

Indeed, down here in Kent any local accent has long disappeared, and is what I call a "non descriptive" sound that incorporates all the various nationalities we have amoungst us.

Love getting back to South East London where you can still hear the local versions of English!

It is also great to get away to Yorkshire or Liverpool where the true local accents do survive, and are so much better than plain Southerner English!

[New POD]

Ah, a Liverpool accent.
You can tell the difference between South and North Liverpool, once you've been here a while.
But occassionally a thick stoke accent catches me out.

[BazaJT]

Yorkshire has a wide variation of accent,to begin with it depends on which of the 3 Ridings[latterly 4 compass points] you come from.Then it can even vary from town to town e.g. Sheffield accent completely different to Barnsley even though they're only a few miles apart.

[Lizzie Zoom]

Yorkshire has a wide variation of accent,to begin with it depends on which of the 3 Ridings[latterly 4 compass points] you come from.Then it can even vary from town to town e.g. Sheffield accent completely different to Barnsley even though they're only a few miles apart.

Yes, it is so good that the very local differences in accent and pronunciation, that were everywhere in England 200 years ago (before mass travel) still exist in this 'global' age.  Long may they survive! 

[polilara]

Thanks, now I know how to use this 'few'...

[Sir Tigger KC]

Thanks, now I know how to use this 'few'...

Glad to hear you've learnt a few things. 

There's a few on here who are quite intelligent!     Only a few though....   

[ronnyd]

Thanks, now I know how to use this 'few'...

Glad to hear you've learnt a few things. 

There's a few on here who are quite intelligent!     Only a few though....   

Not to be confused with "Phew".

[dave the builder]

Thanks, now I know how to use this 'few'...

Glad to hear you've learnt a few things. 

There's a few on here who are quite intelligent!     Only a few though....   

victimization 

yes , I ad to google that massive word so I speld it rite   

[Entwood]

Thanks, now I know how to use this 'few'...

Glad to hear you've learnt a few things. 

There's a few on here who are quite intelligent!     Only a few though....   

victimization 

yes , I ad to google that massive word so I speld it rite   

obviously used google.com ... not google.co.uk

correct ENGLISH spelling is victimisation

[Andy B]

Thanks, now I know how to use this 'few'...

Glad to hear you've learnt a few things. 

There's a few on here who are quite intelligent!     Only a few though....   

victimization 

yes , I ad to google that massive word so I speld it rite   

obviously used google.com ... not google.co.uk

correct ENGLISH spelling is victimisation

Thank you Nige ...... 

[Entwood]

Thanks, now I know how to use this 'few'...

Glad to hear you've learnt a few things. 

There's a few on here who are quite intelligent!     Only a few though....   

victimization 

yes , I ad to google that massive word so I speld it rite   

obviously used google.com ... not google.co.uk

correct ENGLISH spelling is victimisation

Thank you Nige ...... 

No problem Andy .... between us we'll edumacate them all eventually .......   

[Sir Tigger KC]

Thanks, now I know how to use this 'few'...

Glad to hear you've learnt a few things. 

There's a few on here who are quite intelligent!     Only a few though....   

victimization 

yes , I ad to google that massive word so I speld it rite   

obviously used google.com ... not google.co.uk

correct ENGLISH spelling is victimisation

 

[dave the builder]

Thanks, now I know how to use this 'few'...

Glad to hear you've learnt a few things. 

There's a few on here who are quite intelligent!     Only a few though....   

victimization 

yes , I ad to google that massive word so I speld it rite   

obviously used google.com ... not google.co.uk

correct ENGLISH spelling is victimisation

Thank you Nige ...... 

No problem Andy .... between us we'll edumacate them all eventually .......   

But I posted on Omegaowners.COM

even the Forum software agreeez with haw eye spelt it 

edumacate. verb ; To provide with knowledge and/or skill, but used in very sarcastic manner only Apparent meaning: same meaning as the word “educate,” although this one, when used, adds a sarcastic tone to it. Type of word formation: Created via assimilation.

yep, I googled "edumacate " too, in case it refereed to popping round and shooting bad spellers like me 

[Nick W]

Referred.


No sarcasm intended. For once, just to prove that I can.

[dave the builder]

Referred.


No sarcasm intended. For once, just to prove that I can.

OK Nick 

took me about 5 minutes to work out what your post even meant  I got a fuzzy head today (the evil drink)

maybe i need shooting 

[Doctor Gollum]

Brackley is only a few miles from you... 

[dave the builder]

Brackley is only a few miles from you... 

It's Too far , even with a 50 cal 
He'd have to make a special journey ,and TB is a busy man 

[Doctor Gollum]

I suspect that he can move quite quickly when culling is involved 

[dave the builder]

I suspect that he can move quite quickly when culling is involved 

I suspect that I can move quite quickly when someones trying to cull me 

[biggriffin]

Indeed, down here in Kent any local accent has long disappeared, and is what I call a "non descriptive" sound that incorporates all the various nationalities we have amoungst us.

Love getting back to South East London where you can still hear the local versions of English!

It is also great to get away to Yorkshire or Liverpool where the true local accents do survive, and are so much better than plain Southerner English!

The true Cockney accent has/is disappearing being replaced by the mockney, mixture caused by mass immigration from the colonies, "in'it"  but then to hear English being spoken within the M25 is becoming rare.

[Lizzie Zoom]

Indeed, down here in Kent any local accent has long disappeared, and is what I call a "non descriptive" sound that incorporates all the various nationalities we have amoungst us.

Love getting back to South East London where you can still hear the local versions of English!

It is also great to get away to Yorkshire or Liverpool where the true local accents do survive, and are so much better than plain Southerner English!

The true Cockney accent has/is disappearing being replaced by the mockney, mixture caused by mass immigration from the colonies, "in'it"  but then to hear English being spoken within the M25 is becoming rare.

It is not just that.  True Cockney’s, many argue, are not now being born as the sound of Bow Bells cannot be heard above the noise around that part of the Eastend. Even at the local hospitals the bells cannot be heard above the almighty din of life. The area they cover has been shrinking fast over recent decades, and is now basically just the immediate area around the church.

So the real Cockney’s are fast disappearing, and the genre is becoming brown bread!

[STEMO]

Indeed, down here in Kent any local accent has long disappeared, and is what I call a "non descriptive" sound that incorporates all the various nationalities we have amoungst us.

Love getting back to South East London where you can still hear the local versions of English!

It is also great to get away to Yorkshire or Liverpool where the true local accents do survive, and are so much better than plain Southerner English!

The true Cockney accent has/is disappearing being replaced by the mockney, mixture caused by mass immigration from the colonies, "in'it"  but then to hear English being spoken within the M25 is becoming rare.

It is not just that.  True Cockney’s, many argue, are not now being born as the sound of Bow Bells cannot be heard above the noise around that part of the Eastend. Even at the local hospitals the bells cannot be heard above the almighty din of life. The area they cover has been shrinking fast over recent decades, and is now basically just the immediate area around the church.

So the real Cockney’s are fast disappearing, and the genre is becoming brown!

Fixed.

[Nick W]

As this thread started with a question about English grammar, what are Cockney's ? The capital 'C' is arguable, but the grocer's apostrophe is wrong.

[Bigron]

Ahem, grocers', Nick, as there are several grocers being referred to!

Ron.

[Nick W]

Ahem, grocers', Nick, as there are several grocers being referred to!

Ron.

good point.