![]() “Many,” like the other words, has no exact number associated with it. “She has many toe socks” means that she has a number of toe socks, perhaps more than the number of regular socks. In a sentence? “Alicia’s grandmother knitted several pairs of socks for her for Christmas.” It might not be the greatest Christmas gift, but at least Alicia has socks again.Īs for “many,” it means a multitude. The dictionary says it means more than a few but not a great number. “Several” is used to mean more than “some” but less than “many.” Again, there is no exact number. Thus, one might say “I have some socks you can borrow,” or “I will have to do some shopping to replace some socks.” “Some” is understood as meaning more than “few” but less than “several.” What does that mean exactly? No one’s sure thus, people use the word as it feels right to them. He or she has a sufficient number of socks unlike the person who has few of them. ![]() The first case tends to signify that the person does, indeed, have enough socks to at least last until the next wash day. Were they lost in that infamous dryer? Eaten by the dog? No one knows. “I have a few socks” means something different from “I have few socks.” The second case might cause one to wonder why a person has few socks. It refers to more than two things but doesn’t refer to as many things as “some” or “several.” To make the word even more problematic, it can be modified by “a,” which changes the meaning entirely. Thus, a “couple” of socks refers to two socks that may or may not be mismatched after a brawl in the dryer. It makes sense people use the word “couple” to refer to two people who are in a relationship. There are no firm rules, only guidelines, and those are based on what sound and feel right.įor instance, it’s generally accepted that “couple” refers to two things. I confess I thought actual rules existed in regard to “couple,” “few,” “some,” “several,” and “many.” I was mistaken. ![]() A couple, few, some, several, and many walk into a bar…Oh, wait, that isn’t right. ![]()
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