# A few vs. several **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 15, 2004, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-vs-several/250522 "2004-06-15T19:13:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2004, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-vs-several/250522/21 "2004-06-16T15:13:58Z")
I think “a mess” is more than “a bunch”. “A shitload” is the most you can have. ---
**Author:** ![tiny\_ham](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a183cd/32.png) [@tiny\_ham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tiny_ham)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2004, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-vs-several/250522/22 "2004-06-16T15:28:25Z")
Must you muddy the waters? What of a cubic shitload? Don’t make me throw you a beating Kalhoun. ---
**Author:** ![P\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a587f6/32.png) [@P\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P_T)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2004, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-vs-several/250522/23 "2004-06-16T15:51:12Z")
A few is under 10-15 for most things, but can be higher as Borschevsky stated. Several can be up to a few hundred. My mom lives several miles away from me. ---
**Author:** ![tiny\_ham](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a183cd/32.png) [@tiny\_ham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tiny_ham)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2004, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-vs-several/250522/24 "2004-06-16T15:59:16Z")
WHAT!!! Are you insane? Several != over a hundred. You mother lives Many miles or even Hundreds of Miles away from you. If I said “I’m going to drive to your moms, how far is it?” and you said “Several miles” I’d bip you on the head with a gourd. ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2004, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-vs-several/250522/25 "2004-06-16T18:27:17Z")
what **Sengkelat** said: few \> several \> many disgustingly rich person with 7 cars: “Oh, I’ve a few in the garage.” rich person with 7 cars: “Cars? I have several in the garage.” person with 1 car: “I saw many cars in their garage!” underpaid employee with a pair of legs: “There’s this whole \*shitload \* of cars in their garage!” ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2004, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-vs-several/250522/26 "2004-06-16T19:33:51Z")
I once had a professor who made us distinguish between “many” and “several” on a multiple-choice test. As in, did a particular item of information related in the textbook (your average Intro to Sociology, 800 page textbook) use the word “many” or “several”. Fortunately the professor graded on a curve :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![P\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a587f6/32.png) [@P\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P_T)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2004, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-vs-several/250522/27 "2004-06-16T19:38:58Z")
> [@jarbabyj](#): > > WHAT!!! Are you insane? Several != over a hundred. You mother lives Many miles or even Hundreds of Miles away from you. > > If I said “I’m going to drive to your moms, how far is it?” and you said “Several miles” I’d bip you on the head with a gourd. Wow. Bip me on the head with a gourd, huh? A few times, several times, or many times? ---
**Author:** ![ioioio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ioioio/32/316_2.png) [@ioioio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ioioio)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2004, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-vs-several/250522/28 "2004-06-16T21:19:43Z")
I was on a first date, and as the evening progressed it occurred to me that the guy had mentioned _a lot_ of ex-wives. “Just how many times have you been married?” I asked. He replied, _“Several.”_ The answer turned out to be four. That was _a few too many_ for me. ---
**Author:** ![ccwaterback](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@ccwaterback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ccwaterback)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2004, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-vs-several/250522/29 "2004-06-16T22:18:14Z")
jack-shit = 0 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-vs-several/250522.md?page=1)