some vs a few vs several

Hello friends,

Please have a look at this:

Wolfensohn arrived in this country some months before the "separation plan" of Ariel Sharon.

If I changed _some_ for _a few/ several_ would there be any difference? Which is the longest period?
1. some months
2. a few months
3. several months

This in not my first attempt to clarify the difference, still my notion is vague.

Thanks.

I don't see any difference. All three describe a small, vague number of months.

Sometimes the nuances are very fine, but in general, I would order them like this, from fewest to most:
* A couple of
* A few
* Several
* Some

It depends on what is being measured. With months in particular, the differences are not that significant. I think the reason is that a month is a long unit of time in most contexts, so whether you say "a few months" or "some months", it will sound like a long unit of time. "A few months ago" might be three months ago, and "some months ago" might be six months ago, but there's a significant amount of overlap. On the other hand, if we're talking about peanuts, the differences are more pronounced, because they're so small. A dozen months is a long time, but a dozen peanuts isn't a large number of peanuts. So "a few" might be ten peanuts, and "several" might be closer to a handful. There's still considerable room for overlap, though.

I added "a couple of" because it is often used and it fits into the same scale. It literally means two, but is often use as an approximate measure with the meaning of "about two or three", especially if the speaker is unsure of the exact number or thinks it is irrelevant. It's not a strict definition, though. "A couple of grains of sand" probably describes many more than two grains, but an amount that still looks very small to the eye.

"Some" also has an indefinite sense. For instance, "I have some peanuts" doesn't necessarily imply any particular range, but may simply indicate that the speaker has peanuts at all. It sometimes sounds a little strange to say things like "I have peanuts", so we add the word "some".

- Kef

<"Some" also has an indefinite sense. For instance, "I have some peanuts" doesn't necessarily imply any particular range, but may simply indicate that the speaker has peanuts at all. It sometimes sounds a little strange to say things like "I have peanuts", so we add the word "some". >

To me, "some" always has the meaning of restriction or limitation.

Yes, I wouldn't say "I have some peanuts" if I had a million peanuts, for example. :) But I still might say it if I had several large cans full of peanuts, which is a fairly large number.

So we can say both, "do you have some peanuts" and "do you have any peanuts", can't we?

I would prefer "any" in that case, but "some" is possible, yes.

<So we can say both, "do you have some peanuts" and "do you have any peanuts", can't we? >

Yes, you can, but it depends on what you want to say.

Thanks for the detailed explanation, Kef.
“Some” with have/there is very different, it’s sort of an article, a determiner; it’s easy.
< I don't see any difference. All three describe a small, vague number of months. >
It seems to me “some” is more vague than “a few/several”.