What type of adjective is little? Descriptive or quantitative?

Question

Consider the following sentence.

We should pay little attention to little things in life.

What type of adjective is little in this sentence? I am confused if it is descriptive or quantitative.

What about the second little in the same sentence? Is it a descriptive adjective?

Andrew · Accepted Answer · 2021-05-04 11:43:45Z

1

little things = not very important or serious, insignificant, trivial things (descriptive)

little attention = a small amount of attention (quantitative)

pay little attention to sth = not take it seriously

answered May 4, 2021 at 9:14

Andrew

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Can't we take 'little attention' to be 'not serious attention'?
– lokesh L P
Commented May 4, 2021 at 11:21
1

I think we can, it's both qualitative (careful, close, undivided, special, full attention) and quantitative (little, no, not much attention)
– Andrew
Commented May 4, 2021 at 12:11

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