Choose the most appropriate determiner to fill in the blank:
There is still ______ hope of finding the lost puppy, so the children have not given up the search.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → a little
Complete sentence: There is still a little hope of finding the lost puppy, so the children have not given up the search. “Hope” cannot be counted. The children “have not given up the search”, so they still have some hope.
| Option | Meaning and use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| (1) few | goes with countable plural nouns (books, friends) | Few shops were open on Diwali morning. |
| (2) little | hardly any, with a negative sense | There was little time left, so we took an auto. |
| (3) a little (answer) | means some, a small amount, with uncountable nouns. It has a positive sense | Add a little salt to the dal before you serve it. |
| (4) a few | also goes with countable plural nouns, so it cannot be used with “hope” | I bought a few pencils for the exam. |