ENGLISH
REFERENCE

a little bit

fixed phr..
B1 Intermediate Oxford

fixed phr.. a small amount of something. You use it to make a statement sound less strong or more polite.

fixed phr.. a multi-word quantifier or adverbial phrase used to indicate a small degree or quantity; often functions as a mitigator to soften the force of an adjective or verb.


SIMPLE

I am a little bit tired today.

CONTEXTUAL

The soup needs a little bit more salt to bring out the flavor of the vegetables.

COMPLEX

While the initial results were promising, the researchers remained a little bit cautious until the second round of testing was complete.

Usage

commonly used before adjectives or as a noun phrase following a verb.

Teaching tip

teach this as a fixed unit to prevent learners from over-analyzing the grammar of 'bit'; it is more informal than 'slightly' but very common in spoken English.

Pitfall

I am little bit hungry.I am a little bit hungry.the indefinite article 'a' is a required part of this fixed phrase when used as an adverbial.

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