Grammar Nuances

At C2, subtle grammatical choices carry real meaning differences — such as "a few" (positive: some) vs. "few" (negative: almost none), or "the number of" (singular verb) vs. "a number of" (plural verb).

Examples

• A few people understood the joke. (some did)
• Few people understood the joke. (almost none did)
• The number of applicants has grown. (singular verb — "the number" is the subject)
• A number of applicants have withdrawn. (plural verb — "applicants" is the real subject)
• She's hardly ever late. (= almost never, not "hardly, ever late")

Common Mistakes

Practice

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