English grammar - Small and little

Resource centre - English grammar - Small and little

Form and meaning

1. Small and little are both adjectives. We use small to talk about the size of something.
   • Your cat is very small.
   • Can I have two small pizzas please?
2. We can use little to refer to size in the same way as small, but we usually use it with another adjective to express an emotion.
   • He's a clever little boy.
   • Nobody's looking after that poor little dog.

Additional points

1. In comparative and superlative form, small is more common in British English, and little is more common in American English.
   • That's the smallest phone I've ever seen - more common in British English
   • That's the littlest phone I've ever seen - more common in American English

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