grammar · neutral

few + N + who + V

Band 7+task2speaking

A quantifier meaning 'almost none' when used as 'few + noun + who + ...'; contrasts with 'a few' which means 'some'.

Examples

“few students who study irregularly pass the exam”

“few companies that ignore safety survive long-term”

“few people who never read can write well”

Band 8 sentence

“Few economists who ignore empirical evidence retain credibility in serious academic debates.”

Collocations

  • few + N + who + V
  • a few + N + who + V

Common mistakes

a few students who never study pass the exam→few students who never study pass the exam

few of students who→few students who

Say it for a higher band

5a few + N + who + V→6some + N + who + V→7+few + N + who + V

Synonyms

hardly any + N + who + V

Easily confused

few vs a few

“Few students who skipped lessons passed the final test.”

Related words

defining vs non-defining relative clauses (use of commas and that/which/who), who + Vthe + superlative + N + (that) + S + Veach of whom + V, which is why + S + VIndefinite pronouns + who/that + V (someone/anyone/anything + who/that)the majority of + N + who + Vthose who + V

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