“quite a few”是英语中表示数量的常用短语,核心含义和用法如下:
“quite a few” = 相当多;不少;很多(强调数量比预期多,是肯定意义的表达)。
1、 修饰对象:仅用于修饰可数名词复数(不可修饰不可数名词,不可数名词需用“quite a little”)。
2、 句子成分:通常作定语(放在名词前),也可省略前文提到的名词直接作主语/宾语。
修饰名词(定语):
Quite a few students attended the lecture.(相当多的学生参加了讲座。)
She has quite a few friends in New York.(她在纽约有不少朋友。)
We took quite a few photos during the trip.(我们旅行时拍了很多照片。)
省略名词(作主语/宾语):
Quite a few came to the party.(好多人来参加派对了。= Quite a few people...)
I don’t need too many—quite a few will do.(我不需要太多——不少就行。= quite a few [items]...)
few:几乎没有(否定意义,修饰可数名词)→ Few people understood the joke.(没几个人听懂这个笑话。)
a few:一些;几个(少量,肯定意义)→ A few apples are left.(还剩几个苹果。)
quite a few:相当多(比“a few”多,强调数量)→ Quite a few apples are left.(还剩不少苹果。)
quite a little:相当多(修饰不可数名词)→ There’s quite a little water in the bottle.(瓶子里有不少水。)
“quite a few”是口语化且常用的肯定表达,用于突出“可数名词的数量不少”,记住它只接可数复数,别和“quite a little”(不可数)搞混~