Only several...
Mandarin doesn't seem to differentiate between several and few (there's a common word - I think it's 几, ji - that's used for both). Anyway, Chinese speakers of English never seem to differentiate between them. Certainly the Chinese-produced English teaching materials that I am asked to edit or record never do.
Both words mean an indefinite small number, but several implies a slightly greater number: whereas few strictly means only "about 3" (and is rarely used of more than 4 or 5), several tends to mean something in the 5-10 range (there is a common - though I suspect false - belief that it is related to the word 'seven', and thus originally implied "about 7"; I'm afraid I don't have an etymological dictionary available to me at the moment to look into that).
In common usage, the key distinction is that several emphasises that the number, though unknown, may tend towards a higher range, may become significant. Therefore, it is illogical to use it in combination with the limiting adverb only, which should emphasise its smallness or insignificance.
If your boss tells you he needs to talk to you "for several minutes" , it means that the conversation is important and may drag on to take up quite a chunk of your time. If he says he needs you for "a few minutes" (or "just a few minutes" or "only a few minutes"), he is emphasising that it should be a very brief chat, reassuring you that it won't be an inconvenient imposition on your time. In practice, such a conversation might well take about five minutes, regardless of whether the boss has suggested it would take "a few minutes" or "several minutes": it's not the actual length of time of the meeting that matters so much as the attitude and expectation surrounding it - is it an important or difficult topic, is it possible that the conversation could take longer than you'd planned or hoped?
Occasionally, you get several used in an inappropriate situation, even without the rogue only. The other day in the recording studio I came upon this example: "My father is much better now. He will come home from hospital in several days."
You just wouldn't use several in an instance like that. It doesn't matter how many days it will actually be (unless you know precisely, in which case you'd say so: "in a week" or "in three days" or "next Friday"); if you want to say something positive, to emphasise how agreeably short the timeframe (or how small a number) is, you'd say "only a few". "My father is making a quick recovery. He should be out of hospital in a few days."
If it's definitely going to be a fairly small number, and it's good that it's going to be a fairly small number, say a few (or only a few or just a few). If it might be a slightly bigger number, and it's bad that it could be a slightly bigger number, say several. NEVER use only with several. Simple enough, surely?
Mandarin doesn't seem to differentiate between several and few (there's a common word - I think it's 几, ji - that's used for both). Anyway, Chinese speakers of English never seem to differentiate between them. Certainly the Chinese-produced English teaching materials that I am asked to edit or record never do.
Both words mean an indefinite small number, but several implies a slightly greater number: whereas few strictly means only "about 3" (and is rarely used of more than 4 or 5), several tends to mean something in the 5-10 range (there is a common - though I suspect false - belief that it is related to the word 'seven', and thus originally implied "about 7"; I'm afraid I don't have an etymological dictionary available to me at the moment to look into that).
In common usage, the key distinction is that several emphasises that the number, though unknown, may tend towards a higher range, may become significant. Therefore, it is illogical to use it in combination with the limiting adverb only, which should emphasise its smallness or insignificance.
If your boss tells you he needs to talk to you "for several minutes" , it means that the conversation is important and may drag on to take up quite a chunk of your time. If he says he needs you for "a few minutes" (or "just a few minutes" or "only a few minutes"), he is emphasising that it should be a very brief chat, reassuring you that it won't be an inconvenient imposition on your time. In practice, such a conversation might well take about five minutes, regardless of whether the boss has suggested it would take "a few minutes" or "several minutes": it's not the actual length of time of the meeting that matters so much as the attitude and expectation surrounding it - is it an important or difficult topic, is it possible that the conversation could take longer than you'd planned or hoped?
Occasionally, you get several used in an inappropriate situation, even without the rogue only. The other day in the recording studio I came upon this example: "My father is much better now. He will come home from hospital in several days."
You just wouldn't use several in an instance like that. It doesn't matter how many days it will actually be (unless you know precisely, in which case you'd say so: "in a week" or "in three days" or "next Friday"); if you want to say something positive, to emphasise how agreeably short the timeframe (or how small a number) is, you'd say "only a few". "My father is making a quick recovery. He should be out of hospital in a few days."
If it's definitely going to be a fairly small number, and it's good that it's going to be a fairly small number, say a few (or only a few or just a few). If it might be a slightly bigger number, and it's bad that it could be a slightly bigger number, say several. NEVER use only with several. Simple enough, surely?
I often feel there's something strangely apposite, however, about the Chinese quirk of saying things like "I'll be only several minutes late" or "This editing job should take you only several hours". It seems to fit the common attitude here: never being able to plan or foresee how long things will take; having no concern for the magnitude of the imposition they make on you; trying to make light of things that are actually a pretty goddamn big irritation. All too often, phrases like this decode as "I'm probably going to waste half your day, but you can't possibly have a problem with that, can you?"
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