No trecho do quarto parágrafo “When he came back a few weeks later”, a palavra “weeks” é precedida por “a few” para indicar quantidade. Uma outra palavra que também pode ser precedida por “a few”, para indicar quantidade, é
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Mr. Day was a teacher at a school in a big city in the north of England. He usually went to France or Germany for a few weeks during his summer holidays, and he spoke French and German quite well.
But one year Mr. Day said to one of his friends, “I’m going to have a holiday in Athens. But I don’t speak Greek, so I’ll go to evening classes and have Greek lessons for a
month before I go.”
He studied very hard for a month, and then 10 holidays began and he went to Greece.
When he came back a few weeks later, his friend said to him, “Did you have any trouble with your Greek when you were in Athens, Dick?”
“No, I didn’t have any trouble with it,” answered Mr. Day. “But the Greeks did!”
(L. A. Hill. Elementary Stories for Reproduction, 1977.)
Mr. Day was a teacher at a school in a big city in the north of England. He usually went to France or Germany for a few weeks during his summer holidays, and he spoke French and German quite well.
But one year Mr. Day said to one of his friends, “I’m going to have a holiday in Athens. But I don’t speak Greek, so I’ll go to evening classes and have Greek lessons for a
month before I go.”
He studied very hard for a month, and then 10 holidays began and he went to Greece.
When he came back a few weeks later, his friend said to him, “Did you have any trouble with your Greek when you were in Athens, Dick?”
“No, I didn’t have any trouble with it,” answered Mr. Day. “But the Greeks did!”
(L. A. Hill. Elementary Stories for Reproduction, 1977.)
Gabarito comentado
Resposta: Alternativa D — schools
Tema central: uso de quantificadores com nomes contáveis e incontáveis — em especial a diferença entre a few e a little.
Resumo teórico (claro e progressivo):
- a few + substantivo no plural contável = "alguns", indica número reduzido (ex.: a few books, a few days).
- a little + substantivo incontável = "um pouco de", indica quantidade pequena (ex.: a little water, a little money).
- Diferença prática: pergunte "How many?" para contáveis (número) e "How much?" para incontáveis (quantidade). (Ver Cambridge Dictionary: definições de quantifiers.)
Por que a alternativa D está correta:
No enunciado aparece "a few weeks" — weeks é plural e contável. Logo, outro substantivo que aceite a mesma combinação "a few" precisa ser plural contável. "Schools" é plural contável e aceita "a few" (ex.: "He visited a few schools"). Por isso D é a resposta correta.
Análise das alternativas incorretas:
A — money: incontável; usa-se a little money, não "a few money".
B — water: incontável; correto seria a little water.
C — time: geralmente incontável quando significa duração (“I need some time” → “a little time”). Para usar "a few" seria necessário o plural "times" (a few times = algumas vezes). Portanto "a few time" está incorreto.
E — information: incontável; usa-se a little information, não "a few information".
Estratégias práticas para concursos:
- Verifique se o substantivo é contável (procure o plural).
- Substitua mentalmente por um número: se aceitar "two X" é contável e pode aceitar "a few".
- Faça a pergunta-chave: "How many?" (contáveis) ou "How much?" (incontáveis).
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