‘BIT’ related to quantity is countable =
- a bit of …
- bits of …
For example:
By inserting those genes into yeast, we could produce little bits of that smell and be able to, maybe, smell a little bit of something that‘s lost forever.
A2 in the English Vocabulary Profile:
bit = a small amount or piece of something
B1 in the Oxford Learner Dictionary:
[countable] bit of something (especially British English) a small amount or piece of something
B1 English Grammar Profile (EGP) point 49 in DETERMINERS is defined as:
quantifying determiners with uncountable nouns, often in informal and/or spoken contexts (‘a little’, ‘a bit of’ and ‘a little bit of’)
*note, ‘little’ is hard to tag as a determiner and not an adjective. Also, we believe that pronouns and other determiners should be allowed since they refer back to uncountable nouns. The EGP doesn’t list the plural noun ‘BITS’ but we believe it should also be considered as B1 in these longer phrases, and because Oxford lists it at B1.
PELIC WRITING CLASS STUDENT EXAMPLES:
Also, I’m a person that can’t stay up all night studying. So I do a little bit of it daily.
Korean, Female, Level 3
They eat a little meat and many vegetables.
Chinese, Female, Level 3
TLC STUDENT SPEAKING TEST:
Most people like my grandmother add a bit of lamb.
Female, Russia, B2
A search in iWeb for:
a little _NN1
1 A LITTLE BIT 334692
2 A LITTLE GIRL 27865
3 A LITTLE HELP 21139
4 A LITTLE BOY 12791
5 A LITTLE RESEARCH 12704
6 A LITTLE WATER 9638
7 A LITTLE KID 8326
8 A LITTLE FUN 7688
9 A LITTLE MONEY 7272
10 A LITTLE PIECE 6996
11 A LITTLE WORK 6491
12 A LITTLE BACKGROUND 5817
13 A LITTLE PRACTICE 5802
14 A LITTLE EFFORT 4500
15 A LITTLE LIGHT 4235
16 A LITTLE WAY 3898
17 A LITTLE OIL 3782
18 A LITTLE SALT 3739
19 A LITTLE THING 3721
20 A LITTLE HISTORY 3476
21 A LITTLE TROUBLE 3401
22 A LITTLE PATIENCE 3332
23 A LITTLE BREAK 3170
24 A LITTLE PLANNING 3035
25 A LITTLE CHILD 3025
26 A LITTLE TASTE 2955
27 A LITTLE LUCK 2952
28 A LITTLE SECRET 2894
29 A LITTLE LIGHTER 2890
30 A LITTLE SPACE 2734
31 A LITTLE ROOM 2689
32 A LITTLE CREATIVITY 2678
33 A LITTLE LOVE 2599
34 A LITTLE INSPIRATION 2397
35 A LITTLE KNOWLEDGE 2292
36 A LITTLE WEIGHT 2247
37 A LITTLE BABY 2206
38 A LITTLE INSIGHT 2191
39 A LITTLE PROBLEM 2155
40 A LITTLE TRICK 2146
41 A LITTLE NOTE 2112
42 A LITTLE COLOR 2060
43 A LITTLE TOWN 2056
44 A LITTLE BOOST 2032
45 A LITTLE STORY 2026
46 A LITTLE DIGGING 1956
47 A LITTLE THOUGHT 1895
48 A LITTLE IMAGINATION 1849
49 A LITTLE BOX 1825
50 A LITTLE VIDEO 1802
51 A LITTLE BUTTER 1738
52 A LITTLE SUGAR 1737
53 A LITTLE BACK 1704
54 A LITTLE FLAT 1695
55 A LITTLE PRESSURE 1681
56 A LITTLE INFORMATION 1655
57 A LITTLE HEAT 1653
58 A LITTLE CASH 1617
59 A LITTLE TIP 1612
60 A LITTLE SLICE 1609
61 A LITTLE HONEY 1533
62 A LITTLE KICK 1531
63 A LITTLE COLD 1517
64 A LITTLE ADVICE 1486
65 A LITTLE GUY 1475
66 A LITTLE DISTANCE 1462
67 A LITTLE GUIDANCE 1446
68 A LITTLE TWIST 1429
69 A LITTLE PUSH 1422
70 A LITTLE COOLER 1408
71 A LITTLE EXPERIENCE 1408
72 A LITTLE LEMON 1376
73 A LITTLE SIDE 1361
74 A LITTLE GAME 1355
75 A LITTLE CARE 1353
76 A LITTLE HOLE 1350
77 A LITTLE SHOPPING 1329
78 A LITTLE PLASTIC 1312
79 A LITTLE ATTENTION 1293
80 A LITTLE TWEAKING 1285
81 A LITTLE SPICE 1279
82 A LITTLE ELBOW 1270
83 A LITTLE EXPERIMENT 1265
84 A LITTLE PREPARATION 1262
85 A LITTLE TREAT 1254
86 A LITTLE PART 1241
87 A LITTLE GIFT 1239
88 A LITTLE DARK 1230
89 A LITTLE TOUCH 1225
90 A LITTLE MILK 1213
91 A LITTLE BOOK 1194
92 A LITTLE RAIN 1194
93 A LITTLE UPDATE 1187
94 A LITTLE HOUSE 1175
95 A LITTLE MATH 1175
96 A LITTLE VARIETY 1160
97 A LITTLE EXERCISE 1157
98 A LITTLE REST 1156
99 A LITTLE BROTHER 1153
100 A LITTLE AMOUNT 1149
a bit of _NN
1 A BIT OF TIME 21122
2 A BIT OF WORK 7680
3 A BIT OF RESEARCH 7348
4 A BIT OF FUN 7037
5 A BIT OF MONEY 6547
6 A BIT OF LUCK 3938
7 A BIT OF WATER 3636
8 A BIT OF TROUBLE 3468
9 A BIT OF PRACTICE 3112
10 A BIT OF HELP 2705
11 A BIT OF HISTORY 2668
12 A BIT OF EFFORT 2582
13 A BIT OF BACKGROUND 2566
14 A BIT OF WEIGHT 2202
15 A BIT OF INFORMATION 2156
16 A BIT OF SPACE 1946
17 A BIT OF EXPERIENCE 1643
18 A BIT OF PRESSURE 1561
19 A BIT OF ADVICE 1532
20 A BIT OF CASH 1531
21 A BIT OF SALT 1466
22 A BIT OF PATIENCE 1425
23 A BIT OF OIL 1360
24 A BIT OF CONFUSION 1347
25 A BIT OF ATTENTION 1285
26 A BIT OF COLOR 1268
27 A BIT OF TRIAL 1189
28 A BIT OF DAMAGE 1164
29 A BIT OF ROOM 1041
30 A BIT OF THOUGHT 1016
31 A BIT OF HEAT 1008
32 A BIT OF CODE 922
33 A BIT OF PAIN 921
34 A BIT OF PLANNING 915
35 A BIT OF VARIETY 897
36 A BIT OF NOISE 871
37 A BIT OF INTEREST 851
38 A BIT OF SUGAR 846
39 A BIT OF INSPIRATION 813
40 A BIT OF CREATIVITY 797
41 A BIT OF DIFFERENCE 793
42 A BIT OF INFO 782
43 A BIT OF COLOUR 781
44 A BIT OF KNOWLEDGE 769
45 A BIT OF INSIGHT 759
46 A BIT OF RAIN 755
47 A BIT OF POWER 732
48 A BIT OF HONEY 718
49 A BIT OF CONTROVERSY 714
50 A BIT OF SPICE 699
51 A BIT OF LIGHT 680
52 A BIT OF CONFIDENCE 679
53 A BIT OF FOOD 674
54 A BIT OF LEMON 654
55 A BIT OF DETAIL 652
56 A BIT OF BUTTER 630
57 A BIT OF IMAGINATION 626
58 A BIT OF STRETCH 623
59 A BIT OF TEXTURE 600
60 A BIT OF LIFE 594
61 A BIT OF HUMOR 591
62 A BIT OF EXCITEMENT 580
63 A BIT OF MAGIC 580
64 A BIT OF DRAMA 571
65 A BIT OF FORCE 570
66 A BIT OF SNOW 566
67 A BIT OF SPARKLE 563
68 A BIT OF BLOOD 561
69 A BIT OF TRAINING 558
70 A BIT OF DISCUSSION 551
71 A BIT OF CARE 548
72 A BIT OF PEACE 535
73 A BIT OF FLEXIBILITY 532
74 A BIT OF ENERGY 531
75 A BIT OF CHARACTER 526
76 A BIT OF MYSTERY 523
77 A BIT OF EXPERIMENTATION 520
78 A BIT OF SWEETNESS 517
79 A BIT OF SENSE 512
80 A BIT OF SUPPORT 512
81 A BIT OF DEPTH 507
82 A BIT OF EXERCISE 507
83 A BIT OF BANTER 503
84 A BIT OF SUCCESS 499
85 A BIT OF PAPER 496
86 A BIT OF STYLE 495
87 A BIT OF ELBOW 493
88 A BIT OF FLAIR 491
89 A BIT OF SKILL 490
90 A BIT OF DIGGING 480
91 A BIT OF PERSONALITY 476
92 A BIT OF MOMENTUM 474
93 A BIT OF AIR 471
94 A BIT OF OVERKILL 468
95 A BIT OF PERSPECTIVE 467
96 A BIT OF DIFFICULTY 464
97 A BIT OF RELIEF 462
98 A BIT OF NOSTALGIA 459
99 A BIT OF CRUNCH 458
100 A BIT OF GLUE 438
a little bit of _NN
1 A LITTLE BIT OF TIME 5577
2 A LITTLE BIT OF MONEY 2315
3 A LITTLE BIT OF WORK 1849
4 A LITTLE BIT OF WATER 1730
5 A LITTLE BIT OF RESEARCH 1610
6 A LITTLE BIT OF LUCK 1259
7 A LITTLE BIT OF HELP 1116
8 A LITTLE BIT OF EFFORT 1020
9 A LITTLE BIT OF FUN 922
10 A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY 820
11 A LITTLE BIT OF PRACTICE 788
12 A LITTLE BIT OF BACKGROUND 653
13 A LITTLE BIT OF INFORMATION 652
14 A LITTLE BIT OF KNOWLEDGE 535
15 A LITTLE BIT OF PRESSURE 533
16 A LITTLE BIT OF OIL 527
17 A LITTLE BIT OF TROUBLE 513
18 A LITTLE BIT OF PLANNING 499
19 A LITTLE BIT OF SPACE 486
20 A LITTLE BIT OF PATIENCE 483
21 A LITTLE BIT OF WEIGHT 457
22 A LITTLE BIT OF CREATIVITY 417
23 A LITTLE BIT OF EXPERIENCE 402
24 A LITTLE BIT OF SALT 387
25 A LITTLE BIT OF LOVE 372
26 A LITTLE BIT OF MAGIC 368
27 A LITTLE BIT OF COLOR 342
28 A LITTLE BIT OF CASH 328
29 A LITTLE BIT OF SUGAR 320
30 A LITTLE BIT OF LIGHT 312
31 A LITTLE BIT OF HONEY 309
32 A LITTLE BIT OF HEAVEN 298
33 A LITTLE BIT OF HEAT 285
34 A LITTLE BIT OF HOPE 285
35 A LITTLE BIT OF ROOM 285
36 A LITTLE BIT OF THOUGHT 284
37 A LITTLE BIT OF BUTTER 265
38 A LITTLE BIT OF BLOOD 259
39 A LITTLE BIT OF PAIN 246
40 A LITTLE BIT OF ATTENTION 242
41 A LITTLE BIT OF IMAGINATION 240
42 A LITTLE BIT OF CODE 238
43 A LITTLE BIT OF PAINT 230
44 A LITTLE BIT OF INFO 224
45 A LITTLE BIT OF INSIGHT 217
46 A LITTLE BIT OF MILK 214
47 A LITTLE BIT OF ELBOW 213
48 A LITTLE BIT OF POWER 208
49 A LITTLE BIT OF RAIN 206
50 A LITTLE BIT OF CONFIDENCE 205
51 A LITTLE BIT OF MATH 204
52 A LITTLE BIT OF FOOD 202
53 A LITTLE BIT OF INSPIRATION 201
54 A LITTLE BIT OF TRAINING 195
55 A LITTLE BIT OF LUXURY 194
56 A LITTLE BIT OF LEMON 189
57 A LITTLE BIT OF PREPARATION 188
58 A LITTLE BIT OF DAMAGE 182
59 A LITTLE BIT OF TRIAL 176
60 A LITTLE BIT OF ENERGY 170
61 A LITTLE BIT OF FEAR 170
62 A LITTLE BIT OF HUMOR 170
63 A LITTLE BIT OF SPICE 169
64 A LITTLE BIT OF COCONUT 166
65 A LITTLE BIT OF GLUE 166
66 A LITTLE BIT OF PLAY 164
67 A LITTLE BIT OF ADVICE 163
68 A LITTLE BIT OF EXERCISE 162
69 A LITTLE BIT OF LIFE 162
70 A LITTLE BIT OF CONFUSION 160
71 A LITTLE BIT OF SNOW 159
72 A LITTLE BIT OF NOISE 158
73 A LITTLE BIT OF SUNSHINE 157
74 A LITTLE BIT OF SPARKLE 153
75 A LITTLE BIT OF SWEETNESS 152
76 A LITTLE BIT OF FAT 149
77 A LITTLE BIT OF STRETCH 148
78 A LITTLE BIT OF PREP 147
79 A LITTLE BIT OF STRESS 147
80 A LITTLE BIT OF SUPPORT 147
81 A LITTLE BIT OF TEXTURE 147
82 A LITTLE BIT OF AIR 146
83 A LITTLE BIT OF GUIDANCE 143
84 A LITTLE BIT OF HOME 143
85 A LITTLE BIT OF CARE 141
86 A LITTLE BIT OF INTEREST 141
87 A LITTLE BIT OF DETAIL 140
88 A LITTLE BIT OF CONTEXT 135
89 A LITTLE BIT OF CHOCOLATE 135
90 A LITTLE BIT OF MOVEMENT 135
91 A LITTLE BIT OF HOMEWORK 134
92 A LITTLE BIT OF FLOUR 132
93 A LITTLE BIT OF SUCCESS 132
94 A LITTLE BIT OF EXCITEMENT 131
95 A LITTLE BIT OF PEACE 129
96 A LITTLE BIT OF SKILL 128
97 A LITTLE BIT OF ANXIETY 127
98 A LITTLE BIT OF HAIR 127
99 A LITTLE BIT OF CONTROL 125
100 A LITTLE BIT OF SENSE 125
A2 vocabulary:
advice, air, bit, blood, break, care, cash, cooler, detail, difference, exercise,
gift, guy, history, honey, hope, information, lemon, luck, magic, oil , pain,
piece, plastic, practice, push, rest, side, slice, space, story, variety, video, way
A search in COCA for collocates to the right of:
a bit of a
1 PROBLEM 312
If your pen could replicate, that would be a bit of a problem.
2 STRETCH 237
3 SURPRISE 211
4 SHOCK 184
5 MESS 129
6 CHALLENGE 103
7 MYSTERY 101
8 BREAK 59
9 SITUATION 52
10 JOKE 51
11 MISNOMER 49
12 HURRY 49
13 PICKLE 47
14 LETDOWN 46
15 DISAPPOINTMENT 44
16 RUSH 40
17 ROUGH 39
18 STRUGGLE 37
19 FREAK 35
20 PAIN 35
‘a bit of a + noun’ is used for less serious negative things
The noun phrase is listed at:
C1 in the English Vocabulary Profile.
a change, fool, problem, etc., but not an important or serious one
B2 in the Oxford Learner Dictionary:
(informal, especially British English) used when talking about unpleasant or negative things or ideas, to mean ‘rather a…’
He had a bit of a nosebleed during lunch, and he‘s just resting.