Question

______ grain they had was damaged by rain.

• A. little
• B. a little
• C. a few
• D. The little

Answer 1

Answer:

D. The little

• little:

  • "Little" is used for uncountable nouns and means almost none or not much. It implies a small or insufficient amount.
  • Example: "The little grain they had was damaged by rain." (But the use of "the" is needed for this option to make sense grammatically.)

• a little:

  • "A little" means some but not a lot. It suggests a small amount but not as small as "little."
  • Example (incorrect): "A little grain they had was damaged by rain."

• a few:

  • "A few" is used for countable nouns and means some but not many. Since "grain" is usually considered uncountable, "a few" doesn't match the context.

• The little:

  • "The little" is similar to "little" but is used when referring to a specific small amount within a larger context.
  • Example: "The little grain they had was damaged by rain." (This option is grammatically correct when paired with "the.")