一、Reading
Fred's having a party, but he's very embarrassed. There are many people at his party, but there's very little food. There's very little meat. There isn't much rice, either. There are only a few cans of coke and a little orange juice. However, everyone is happy at the party because there's plenty of beer.
二、解析
■ Fred's having a party, but he's very embarrassed.
- 前句时态：进行时
- 主：Fred
- 谓：is having
- 宾：a party
- 连词：but
- 主：he
- 系：is
- 状：very
- 表：embarrassed.
■ There are many people at his party, but there's very little food.
- 表：There
- 系：are
- 定：many
- 主：people
- 地状：at his party
- 并列连词：but
- 表：there
- 系：is
- 状：very
- 定：little
- 主：food.
many：adj. “许多个”，后接复数名词。
■ There's very little meat.
- 表：There
- 系：is
- 状：very
- 定：little
- 主：meat.
little：“很少，没多少”。之后接不可数名词，有否定意味。
a little：“有一点”。之后接不可数名词，有肯定意味。
■ There isn't much rice, either.
- 表：There
- 系：is
- 状：not
- 定：much
- 主：rice，
- 状：either.
much：“许多”。之后接不可数名词，用于否定句。肯定句应使用 a lot of / lots of.
not...either：一定要与 not 连用，形成表“也不”的意思。
■ There are only a few cans of coke and a little orange juice.
- 表：There
- 系：are
- 定：only
- 主：a few cans of coke and a little orange juice.
- 定：a few
- 主1：cans of coke
- 并列连词：and
- 定：a little
- 主2：orange juice.
few：“没几个”，后接复数名词，有否定意味。
a few：“有几个”，后接复数名词，有肯定意味。
only a few = few：没几个。
■ However, everyone is happy at the party because there's plenty of beer.
- 状：However
- 主：everyone
- 系：is
- 表：happy
- 地状：at the party
- 原因状从：because there's plenty of beer.
- 引导词：because
- 表：there
- 系：is
- 定：plenty of
- 主：beer.
三、语法：
表数量的形容词用法：
3.1、之后须接复数名词者：
- few：有少数，没几个，
- a few：有几个
- several：数个（意思接近 a few，但可能数目较 a few 多。）
- many：许多个。
注：
- few 表示“有少数，没几个”，有否定意味；a few 表示“有几个”，有肯定意味。
- quite a few 表示“不少的，相当多的”（= many）。
- only a few 表示“只有几个”（= few 没几个）。
3.2 之后需接不可数名词者：
little：很少，没多少。
- a little：有一点。
- much：许多。
注：
- little 表示“没多少”，有否定意味；a little 表示“有一点”，有肯定意味。
- quite a little：不少的，相当多的。
- much 用于用于否定句中，而不用于肯定句中。肯定句应使用 a lot of 或 lots of。
- a great deal of 亦表示“许多的，大量的”，之后须接不可数名词。
3.3 之后可接复数名词或不可数名词者：
- some：一些。
- a lot of (= lots of)：许多的。
- plenty of：不少的，相当多的。