a few evidence

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "a few evidence" is not correct in English.
The word "evidence" is an uncountable noun and should not be used with "a few." You can use the correct form when discussing instances or pieces of evidence, but you would need to rephrase it. Example: "There is some evidence to support the theory."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

Science

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

2 human-written examples

In addition, to the ones developed by the Gene Ontology database, a few evidence codes have been developed in-house.

Database : the journal of biological databases and curation

Therefore, a few evidence categories (neighborhood, experimental, text mining) have been comparatively assessed in relation to our disaggregated data.

BMC Systems Biology

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

58 human-written examples

There were a few evidences of pericardial effusions.

Surgical Case Reports

However, there are a few evidences indicating that portal II could be a unique portal for LFABP.

Plosone

Up to now, only a few evidences showed that the increased level of MBL can provide prognostic information in patients with T2DM [67].

Plosone

There were only a few evidence-based CPGs available in the SEA-ORCHID hospitals before the intervention period.

Health Research Policy and Systems

There were a few evidence-based guidelines available at some of the hospitals and most hospitals had a wide range of non-evidence-based local protocols.

Health Research Policy and Systems

Exercise therapy following total hip replacement (THR) is considered to be important during the initial postoperative care, but till date only a few evidence-based recommendations exist.

BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders

Despite these challenges, there is only a few evidence-based data regarding the risk factors associated with increased frequency of KPRC infection.

BioMed Research International

However, although there is a common opinion for the importance of postoperative treatment in regaining physical functions [ 9, 10], only a few evidence-based recommendations exist for rehabilitation after THR [ 11, 12].

BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders

In fact, this pathway already has a few evidences on their associations with body weight [ 68– 70].

BMC Genomics

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When referring to evidence, remember that it's an uncountable noun. Use quantifiers like "some", "a little", or "a small amount of" instead of "a few". Alternatively, use "pieces of evidence" to correctly quantify it.

Common error

Avoid using "a few" directly before "evidence". This combination is grammatically incorrect. Use the construction "a few pieces of evidence" or alternative quantifiers such as "some" or "a little" to maintain grammatical accuracy.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "a few evidence" attempts to act as a determiner + noun construction. However, it's grammatically incorrect because "evidence" is an uncountable noun and cannot be directly quantified by "a few". Ludwig AI indicates this phrase is not correct in English.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

Science

60%

News & Media

40%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Academia

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "a few evidence" is grammatically incorrect as "evidence" is an uncountable noun. Though Ludwig provides some examples, it indicates this phrase is non-standard. To express the intended meaning of limited evidence, use alternatives like "some evidence", "a little evidence", or "a few pieces of evidence". This ensures grammatical correctness and clarity in writing, regardless of the context, be it scientific, journalistic, or formal.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

some evidence

Replaces the quantifier phrase with a grammatically correct alternative for uncountable nouns.

a bit of evidence

Uses a partitive construction to correctly quantify the uncountable noun "evidence".

a small amount of evidence

Emphasizes the limited quantity of evidence using a more descriptive phrase.

limited evidence

Uses an adjective to directly describe the scarcity of evidence.

scarce evidence

Similar to "limited evidence", highlighting the rarity of the evidence.

a few pieces of evidence

Corrects the grammar by using "pieces of" to quantify evidence.

slight evidence

Indicates that the evidence is not strong or substantial.

minimal evidence

Highlights that the evidence is at the lowest level possible.

insufficient evidence

Stresses that the evidence available isn't enough.

meager evidence

Emphasizes that the evidence presented is deficient in quality and quantity.

FAQs

How can I properly use "evidence" with quantifiers?

Since "evidence" is an uncountable noun, use quantifiers like "some evidence", "a little evidence", or phrases like "a body of evidence". For countable references, say "a few pieces of evidence".

What are some alternatives to "a few evidence" that are grammatically correct?

Instead of "a few evidence", you can use phrases like "some evidence", "limited evidence", or "a small amount of evidence".

Is it ever correct to say "a few evidences"?

No, "evidences" is generally not considered standard English. Use "evidence" as an uncountable noun, or rephrase to use "pieces of evidence" if you need a plural form.

What's the difference between "some evidence" and "a few pieces of evidence"?

"Some evidence" refers to an unspecified amount of evidence. "A few pieces of evidence" implies a specific, small number of individual items or instances of evidence.