another word for running into the same problem

However, if you want some wiggle room, you can use “a few,” “some,” or “several,” but realize you and your listener or reader may have different understandings of what those terms mean. For example, there are five reasons why the trial court decision must be overturned. If you’re striving for precision, you might want to specifically list a number. So, the bottom line seems to be this: “a couple” is typically interpreted with some precision to mean “two.” “Many” is the most, but an indeterminate amount. You might many choices, and that suggests far more than choosing between solely A, B, and C. Many: It seems generally accepted, though, that “many,” while having no precise number attached to it, is the greatest in quantity in this list. “Some” might be the same as “a few” or it might be more, inching up to “several.” You might have “several dollars” in your pocket, or you might have “some cash” in your wallet, and those amounts could vary considerably in both your mind and your listener’s/reader’s minds. Some/Several: Again, there is no hard-and-fast rule here. But maybe not.Īs well, depending on the context, “few” (without the “a” preceding it) could mean little to none. And someone who wants to borrow “a few dollars” from you may really only want three or four bucks. So, if you tell someone you’ll be there “in a few minutes,” the two of you might understand that to mean, say, less than five minutes, but one of you might mean something slightly longer. What “a few” means to me might be different than what “a few” means to you. The answer is that there is no hard-and-fast answer. Some insisted “a few” meant three and only three. I’ve asked different people how many they thought the words “a few” referred to. If you have a couple of options, you can safely assume that you will have to choose between A and B, and only A and B.Ī Few: Here’s where things tend to get confusing. Talking about those posts with some friends prompted this one: what’s the difference between a couple, few, some, several, or many? For example, if someone tells you have a few options, how many do you have? Three? Four? More?Ī couple: Everyone seems to agree that “a couple” means two.

In three previous posts ( here, here, and here), I’ve addressed some commonly confused words and how to choose the one that expresses what you really mean.

Another word for running into the same problem