An exercise from Hewings’s “Advanced grammar in use”, Unit 52.
Complete the sentences with
- (a) few,
- (a) little,
- the few,
- the little,
- what few of what little,
giving alternatives where possible.
The announcement will come as (_______________) surprise.
Answer: little
Is it incorrect to write:
“The announcement will come as a little surprise.”
After all, “surprise” is both countable and uncountable noun. What difference in meaning might there be between these two sentences?