a few amount

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "a few amount" is not correct in written English.
The correct expression should be "a small amount" or "a few." Example: "There are a few amount of apples left in the basket."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

Science

News & Media

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

8 human-written examples

"It's a massive amount of people going for just a few amount of calls".

The New York Times

"I just try to provide hope, knowing that if we're down a few amount of points in the fourth quarter, that we got a chance to win," Stoudemire said.

The New York Times - Sports

The starting red mud was found to contain hematite, katoite, cancrinite and a few amount of diaspore, which hardly dissolved and participated in the geopolymerization reaction.

Construction and Building Materials

In any case, the performance of the 1D-PLS and 2D-PLS methods converges with a few amount of components and remains stable.

EURASIP Journal on Advances in Signal Processing

Microstructure of air cooled specimen consists of lower bainite with a few amount of lath martensite, whereas a mixture of lath martensite and lower bainite in prior pan-caked austenite grains has also been obtained on water quenching.

Journal of Alloys and Compounds

Addition of a few amount of Cu to DLC resulted in a rise in plastic hardness and H3/E2 ratio of Cu/DLC composite thin films, but optimum value was observed for composite films having an intermediate Cu concentration.

Surface and Coatings Technology

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

50 human-written examples

While there were still a few amounts of single-molecule clusters inside the gel, three-dimensional network structure had already reached stability through intermolecular cross-linking.

Journal of Petroleum Exploration and Production Technology

The intermediate layer is considered to take into account the part of support with a few amounts of metal where the pore diameter is reduced due to the deposited metal on the wall of the pores.

Chemical Engineering Science

There are only instructions and ingredients with a few amounts listed.

Huffington Post

Apply only a few amounts of the mixture.

WikiHow

Multi-target regression algorithms can compensate for a fewer amount of training instances available for a problem by exploiting the knowledge of a similar problem.

Journal of Cheminformatics

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Avoid using the phrase "a few amount". Instead, use "a small amount" when referring to uncountable nouns or "a few" when referring to countable nouns. Pay attention to the type of noun you are modifying to ensure grammatical correctness.

Common error

A common mistake is using "amount" with countable nouns. Remember that "amount" is for uncountable nouns (e.g., "a small amount of water"), while "number" or "few" are for countable nouns (e.g., "a few apples"). Double-check your noun type before using "amount."

Linguistic Context

The phrase "a few amount" functions as a determiner phrase intending to quantify something. However, it's grammatically incorrect because "few" is used with countable nouns, while "amount" is used with uncountable nouns. Ludwig AI identifies this as an incorrect construction.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

Science

42%

News & Media

29%

Wiki

19%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

2%

Social Media

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "a few amount" is an attempt to express a small quantity, but it is grammatically incorrect. As Ludwig AI points out, the correct alternatives are "a small amount" (for uncountable nouns) or simply "a few" (for countable nouns). While "a few amount" does appear in some sources, including news and science publications, its usage is inconsistent and generally flagged as an error. Therefore, it's best to avoid "a few amount" in favor of more grammatically sound options like "a small amount" or "a few" to ensure clarity and correctness in your writing.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

a small amount

Replaces "few" with "small" to correctly modify "amount", emphasizing a reduced quantity.

a handful of

Offers a more idiomatic alternative, implying a small, manageable quantity.

a limited quantity

Replaces "few" and "amount" to provide a more formal and precise description of a restricted quantity.

a number of

Uses "number" to indicate quantity instead of "amount," suitable for countable items.

several

Offers a simpler, more direct way to express 'more than two but not many'.

a couple of

Implies exactly two, or a small, indefinite number close to two.

a bit of

Suggests a small portion or quantity, often used for uncountable nouns.

some

A general term indicating an unspecified quantity or number.

a scattering of

Describes a sparse distribution, indicating a small quantity spread out.

a trace of

Implies a very small or barely detectable quantity.

FAQs

What is the correct way to refer to a small quantity?

The correct way to refer to a small quantity depends on whether you are talking about something countable or uncountable. Use "a few" for countable items (e.g., "a few apples") and "a small amount of" for uncountable items (e.g., "a small amount of water").

What can I say instead of "a few amount"?

Instead of "a few amount", you can use alternatives like "a small amount" for uncountable nouns or simply "a few" for countable nouns.

Which is correct, "a few amount" or "a small amount"?

"A small amount" is correct. "A few amount" is grammatically incorrect. Remember to use "amount" with uncountable nouns. For countable nouns, use "a few".

What's the difference between "a few" and "a small amount of"?

"A few" is used with countable nouns (e.g., "a few books"), while "a small amount of" is used with uncountable nouns (e.g., "a small amount of sugar"). Using them correctly ensures proper grammar.