a few document

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "a few document" is not correct in English.
It should be "a few documents." You can use the corrected phrase when referring to a small number of documents in a context where you are discussing or listing them. Example: "I have a few documents that I need to review before the meeting."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

Science

News & Media

Academia

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

2 human-written examples

A few document fragile, improbable romances.

The New York Times - Books

A few document types correspond to the majority of the clinical notes available.

BMC Medical Research Methodology

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

58 human-written examples

A few documents are on vellum.

Cornell University

There will be display of a few documents on September 19.

Yale University

His identity was anonymised in all but a few documents.

The Guardian

Only a few documents from the temples have been preserved, however.

Encyclopedia Britannica

Only a few documents and references to Sōtatsu or his work have been found.

Encyclopedia Britannica

Although he shared a few documents at the meeting, Justo was adamant: no cash, no data.

The Guardian

On the other was Mr. Feinberg, who was glancing at a few documents.

The New York Times

(Which strikes me as worse than forging a few documents, in the grand scheme of things).

The New York Times

It searched the wreckage, took pictures, collected a few documents and returned to the small outpost just ahead of dark.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Always use the plural form "documents" after "a few" to ensure grammatical correctness. For example, "I reviewed a few documents today."

Common error

Avoid using the singular form "document" after "a few". This is a common grammatical mistake. Always use the plural form "documents".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "a few document" functions incorrectly as a determiner phrase due to the grammatical error. The word "few" requires a plural noun. As Ludwig AI explains, the correct form is "a few documents".

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

Science

33%

News & Media

33%

Academia

33%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "a few document" is grammatically incorrect. As Ludwig AI points out, it should be "a few documents". The word "few" requires a plural noun. While examples exist in various contexts like Science, News & Media, and Academia, the grammatical error significantly impacts its usability. Remember to use "documents" to ensure grammatical correctness. Alternatives such as "several documents" or "a couple of documents" can also be used.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

several documents

Replaces "a few" with "several", indicating a slightly larger but still indefinite small number.

a couple of documents

Substitutes "a few" with "a couple", specifying exactly two.

some documents

Uses "some" as a more general term for an unspecified quantity.

a handful of documents

Emphasizes a small, manageable number of documents.

a limited number of documents

Highlights the restriction on the quantity of documents.

a small selection of documents

Focuses on the documents being a chosen subset.

a restricted set of documents

Indicates that the documents are part of a collection with defined limits.

a sparse collection of documents

Implies that the number of documents is notably small and possibly insufficient.

a mere few documents

Adds emphasis to how few documents are being referred to.

only a few documents

Highlights the limited quantity, suggesting it may be surprisingly small.

FAQs

What is the correct way to say "a few document"?

The correct way to phrase this is "a few documents". The word "few" requires a plural noun.

What does "a few documents" mean?

"A few documents" refers to a small, unspecified number of documents, more than two but not many.

Can I use "several documents" instead of "a few documents"?

Yes, you can use "several documents" as an alternative to "a few documents". "Several" indicates a slightly larger, but still indefinite, small quantity.

Is there a more formal way to say "a few documents"?

Depending on the context, you could use phrases like "a limited number of documents" or "a small selection of documents" for a more formal tone.