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a few hours vs few hours

Both "a few hours" and "few hours" are correct, but they have different meanings and usage. "A few hours" indicates a small, indefinite quantity of hours, while "few hours" implies a negative sense of scarcity or lack of time. The choice between them depends on the context and the intended meaning.

Last updated: March 23, 2024 • 1658 views

a few hours

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English to indicate a small, indefinite quantity of hours.

Use "a few hours" when you want to express a small, unspecified number of hours. It implies that there are some hours available, but the exact number is not specified.

Examples:

  • I'll be back in a few hours.
  • She spent a few hours reading a book.
  • It will take a few hours to complete the task.
  • We chatted for a few hours.
  • He slept for a few hours.
  • The sun will be comin' in a few hours.
  • The Initiative would have found everything in a few hours.
  • We needed a baby-sitter for a few hours.
  • You can isolate them for a few hours, but...
  • Symptoms disappear after a few hours.
  • Raptors are due back in a few hours.
  • I just need you to keep Buffy away for a few hours.
  • Let me be Old Noll a few hours more.
  • We just pushed it back a few hours.
  • Okay, so first it was a few hours.
  • Our flight leaves in a few hours.
  • If I could only close my eyes for a few hours.
  • N-no, we don't rent rooms for a few hours.
  • Canada's only a few hours away.
  • In a few hours it'll all be over.
  • No Overlord can exist for more than a few hours without a mask.
  • My book party's in a few hours.
  • So you can go home for a few hours.
  • And you played with them for a few hours.
  • He's only been at work a few hours.

Alternatives:

  • several hours
  • a couple of hours
  • a handful of hours
  • a small number of hours
  • a limited number of hours

few hours

This phrase is correct and is used to indicate a negative sense of scarcity or lack of time.

Use "few hours" when you want to convey that there is a shortage of hours or a limited amount of time available. It implies a sense of insufficiency or constraint.

Examples:

  • I have few hours left to finish the project.
  • There are few hours of daylight in winter.
  • She has few hours to spare for leisure activities.
  • He has few hours of sleep each night.
  • We have few hours before the deadline.
  • First few hours inside and you're already here.
  • Don't spend your last few hours working.
  • I've spent the last few hours tuning out all these incredibly boring stories...
  • It's been such an awful few hours, Stanley.
  • I've had Charlie tailing Delta Team for the last few hours.
  • These might be my wife's last few hours of freedom.
  • Someone's been here in the past few hours.
  • Freshness of the wounds suggest it happened In the last few hours.
  • Because Natalie spent the last few hours with me.
  • Nobody's come through here in the last few hours.
  • My auntie spent years obsessing over Cindi's last few hours.
  • I'm waiting on a final tally, but I believe we've lost around 18 defectors over the last few hours.
  • We're asking everyone if they've seen or heard anything unusual in the past few hours.
  • Elliot? Will, over the last few hours, a series of dramatic events have unfolded on the streets of suburban Boston.
  • I have spent the last few hours mapping out every story you've ever told.
  • So I've spent the last few hours online with customer support, just reaming them out.
  • I scanned all the 911 calls for the past few hours.
  • This is just one of four similar incidents that have happened in the area in the last few hours.
  • Over the past few hours, his B.P'. s dropped down again.
  • I'm going to enjoy my last few hours of being a teacher.

Alternatives:

  • limited hours
  • scant hours
  • insufficient hours
  • scarce hours
  • not many hours

Related Comparisons

lasting for several hours vs lasting several hours in a few hours vs in few hours last a few hours vs last for a few hours two hours more vs two more hours some bread vs a breed some breed vs a bread

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