has been few

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "has been few" is not correct in standard written English.
It is typically used incorrectly when trying to express a small number of occurrences or instances. Example: "There has been few opportunities for advancement in this company."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

33 human-written examples

However, there has been few studies to illuminate these differences.

Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery

There has been few reports of the electrochemical sensing of Δ9-THC.

Chemistry Central Journal

There has been few controlled studies about nerve injury induced by orthognathic surgery.

Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery

To the best of our knowledge, there has been few works concerning this case up to now.

Boundary Value Problems

To date, there has been few works characterizing the impedance models and water transport behaviors of cathodically polarized coating.

Electrochimica Acta

However, there has been few fundamental studies on how hydrophilic support structure affects selective layer formation and hence membrane performance.

Journal of Membrane Science

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

26 human-written examples

Successes have been few.

The New York Times

There have been few violations.

The New York Times - Sports

There have been few headlines about crime.

The Economist

But true destination restaurants have been few.

The New York Times - Travel

But there have been few catastrophic depreciations.

The Economist

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Always ensure subject-verb agreement. If the subject is plural (like "few"), use "have"; if it's singular, use "has". In most cases, the better option is "there have been few" or "there has been a few".

Common error

Avoid using "has" with plural subjects. "Has" is for singular subjects (he, she, it), while "have" is for plural subjects (they, we, you) or the pronoun "I".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "has been few" is grammatically incorrect due to a subject-verb agreement error. Ludwig AI confirms that the verb form "has" (singular) does not agree with the plural implication of "few".

Expression frequency: Missing

Frequent in

Science

0%

News & Media

0%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Science

0%

News & Media

0%

Formal & Business

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "has been few" is grammatically incorrect due to a subject-verb disagreement. As Ludwig AI points out, the correct forms are "there have been few" or "there has been a few", depending on the intended meaning. Since this phrase is incorrect, there are no real-world examples of its proper use. The intended purpose is to express scarcity, but the grammatical error undermines effective communication. To avoid this, always ensure the verb agrees with the subject in number.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

there have been few

Corrects the subject-verb agreement; 'there' is the subject, requiring 'have' because 'few' indicates a plural count.

there has been a few

Rephrases to use 'a few,' which implies a small number, with the singular verb form 'has'.

there have been a small number of

Expresses a similar meaning by explicitly stating a 'small number,' maintaining correct plural agreement.

there has been a scarcity of

Shifts the focus to scarcity, using a singular noun to describe the lack of something.

there has been a limited amount of

Focuses on a 'limited amount,' which requires a singular verb form.

few instances have occurred

Rephrases to emphasize the 'instances' which have occurred, highlighting the rarity.

a handful of examples exist

Uses 'a handful' to indicate a small quantity, emphasizing the presence of some examples.

only a few exist

Simplifies the statement to express that the quantity is limited.

not many have been

Provides a more direct, informal way of saying the number is small.

hardly any have been

Emphasizes the rarity, stating that almost none have been observed.

FAQs

What is the correct way to say "has been few"?

The correct way to express this idea is "there have been few" or "there has been a few", depending on the intended meaning. "Has been few" is grammatically incorrect.

Why is "has been few" grammatically incorrect?

The phrase "has been few" is incorrect because "has" is a singular verb form, while "few" implies a plural subject. The verb must agree with the subject in number, so the correct form is "have been few" when referring to multiple instances.

What are some alternative phrases to "has been few"?

Alternatives include "there have been few", "there has been a small number of", or "there has been a scarcity of", depending on the specific context and meaning you want to convey.

Is it ever correct to use "has been few"?

No, "has been few" is not considered grammatically correct in standard English. The correct forms are "there have been few" or "there has been a few", ensuring the verb agrees with the subject in number.