Positive vs. Negative Feeling

The article ‘a’ makes a big difference in meaning.

• A little / A few = Positive meaning (“I have some.”)
  I have a little money, so we can buy a coffee.
  She has a few friends, so she’s not lonely.
• Little / Few = Negative meaning (“Not much / Not many”)
  I have little money, so we can’t buy a coffee.
  He has few friends, so he is often lonely.

Formal vs. Informal and Sentence Type

• A lot of is common in positive (+) sentences.
  She has a lot of books.
• Much / Many are more common in negative (-) and question (?) sentences.
  I don’t have many books. Do you have much work to do?

Determiner vs. Pronoun

• Use no before a noun.
  There is no time. She has no children.
• Use none alone, without a noun after it.
  “How much time is left?” “None.”
  “How many children does she have?” “None.”