a few experiment

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "a few experiment" is not correct in English.
It should be "a few experiments." You can use the corrected phrase when referring to a small number of experiments conducted in a scientific or research context. Example: "In our study, we conducted a few experiments to test the hypothesis."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

Science

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

A few experiment ontologies exist, both general (Soldatova and King, 2006) and for specific knowledge domains (Whetzel et al., 2006; Ivchenko et al., 2011; Visser et al., 2011).

Biology Open

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

55 human-written examples

He decided to conduct a few experiments of his own, investigating symmetry in male horned beetles.

The New Yorker

But there were also a few experiments in timbre, involving flutes, clarinets and muted horns.

The New York Times - Arts

A few experiments with firm jelly have also been conducted, but university researchers are still taking a somewhat cautious approach.

The New York Times

A few experiments quickly showed that it wasn't the persimmons at all, or even the long cooking time.

The New York Times

"I started with a few experiments in the kitchen," working with mycelium in petri dishes, he said.

The New York Times

BioBeats is starting with a few experiments.

TechCrunch

Jonathan: We have down quite a few experiments.

TechCrunch

To test this hypothesis, we conducted a few experiments.

Human-centric Computing and Information Sciences

A few experiments have been performed to verify this model.

Applied Surface Science

You might host a visitor from a pharmaceutical company who will do a few experiments, or you may perform a few experiments for the company yourself.

Science Magazine

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Always use the plural form "experiments" after "a few" to ensure grammatical correctness. For instance, "We conducted a few experiments to validate our hypothesis" is correct.

Common error

Avoid using the singular form "experiment" after "a few". The phrase "a few" indicates a plural quantity, so the noun must also be plural. The correct form is always "a few experiments."

Linguistic Context

The phrase "a few experiment" functions incorrectly as a determiner followed by a singular noun. It should be "a few experiments," where "a few" is a determiner indicating a small quantity, and "experiments" is the plural noun. Ludwig flags it as incorrect, advising the use of the plural form.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

Science

60%

News & Media

35%

Formal & Business

5%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "a few experiment" is a common grammatical error. As Ludwig clearly indicates, the correct form is "a few experiments". The phrase intends to convey the idea of a small number of experiments but fails due to the incorrect singular noun. The plural form "experiments" should always be used after the determiner "a few". While present across scientific and news media, always ensure to use the correct plural form for clear and professional communication. Using alternatives such as "a couple of experiments" or "several experiments" can also add variety while maintaining grammatical accuracy.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

a couple of experiments

Replaces "few" with "couple", offering a slightly more informal but grammatically sound alternative.

a small number of experiments

Replaces "a few" with "a small number of", providing a more formal and precise alternative.

several experiments

Substitutes "a few" with "several", indicating more than two or three experiments.

a handful of experiments

Replaces "a few" with "a handful of", offering a more informal alternative, suggesting a small quantity.

a limited number of experiments

Substitutes "a few" with "a limited number of", emphasizing the restricted quantity of experiments.

some experiments

Offers a simpler and more general alternative to indicate an unspecified small number of experiments.

a couple of tests

Replaces "experiments" with "tests", maintaining the same quantity but using a different noun.

a small set of experiments

Replaces "a few" with "a small set of", providing a more structured and formal alternative.

a scattering of experiments

Replaces "a few" with "a scattering of", suggesting a dispersed or infrequent performance of experiments.

a select few experiments

Replaces "a few" with "a select few", emphasizing the careful choice or specific nature of the experiments.

FAQs

How to correctly use "a few experiment" in a sentence?

The phrase "a few experiment" is grammatically incorrect. The correct phrase is "a few experiments". For example, "We conducted "a few experiments" to test our hypothesis".

What are some alternatives to "a few experiment"?

Since "a few experiment" is grammatically incorrect, use alternatives like "a couple of experiments", "several experiments", or "a small number of experiments".

Is it correct to say "a few experiment" or "a few experiments"?

It is incorrect to say "a few experiment". The correct phrase is "a few experiments". The word "few" implies a plural noun.

What's the difference between "a few experiments" and "some experiments"?

While both ""a few experiments"" and "some experiments" indicate more than one experiment, "a few" suggests a smaller, more specific number than "some", which is more general.