Small vs Little
● SMALL and LITTLE are both used to say that someone or something is not large. SMALL only refers to the physical size of something, but LITTLE also conveys some kind of emotions at the same time.
● SMALL和LITTLE均可意为“不大的、小的”，但SMALL只客观描述某物的物理大小，LITTLE除了描述物理大小之外，还传递出某种情感。
★ This house is very small.
★ 这所房子非常小。
★ They live in a nice little house.
★ 他们住在一所漂亮的小房子里。
● There are some important differences in the ways SMALL and LITTLE are used.
● SMALL与LITTLE在用法上存在一些区别。
◆ SMALL can be used in front of a noun, or after a verb BE.
◆ SMALL既可放在名词前，也可放在系动词BE后。
★ They escaped in small boats.
★ 他们乘小船逃走了。
★ She is small for her age.
★ 相对她的年龄来说，她身材娇小。
◆ LITTLE is normally used only in front of nouns.
◆ LITTLE通常只能放在名词前。
★ She bought a little table with a glass top.
★ 她买了一张玻璃面的小桌子。
★ I picked up a little piece of rock.
★ 我捡了一块小石头。
◆ You can add an adverb in front of SMALL to express a degree of smallness, such as QUITE, RATHER, EXTREMELY, VERY and TOO.
◆ SMALL前可用QUITE、RATHER、 EXTREMELY、 VERY、TOO等副词修饰，来表示“小”的不同程度。
★ She cut me a rather small piece of cake.
★ 她给我切了一块很小的蛋糕。
★ The box was very small, but we all managed to squeeze everything in.
★ 箱子非常小，但我们设法将所有的东西都装进去了。
★ They are living in houses which are too small.
★ 他们住在一个特别小的房子里。
★ Quite small changes in climate can have enormous effects.
★ 在气候的问题上，微小的改变就能产生巨大的影响。
◆ You can use other adjectives in front of LITTLE to express some kind of emotions, adjectives such as NICE, SWEET, PRETTY, POOR, TINY, SMART, FUNNY, etc.
◆ LITTLE前可用NICE、SWEET、PRETTY、POOR、 TINY、SMART、FUNNY等形容词修饰，来表达某种感情色彩。
★ She is a sweet little thing, always has a smile on her face.
★ 她真是个小可爱，总是面带微笑。
★ She was a pretty little girl.
★ 她是个漂亮的小姑娘。
★ He is such a smart little boy.
★ 他是一个如此聪明的小男孩。
★ I have decided to look after the poor little thing.
★ 我决定要照顾这个小可怜。
LITTLE:
● LITTLE is used to mean young when talking about children, whereas SMALL could be used to describe the height of children.
● LITTLE形容孩子时，则表示“孩子小、年幼”，SMALL形容孩子时，则表示“孩子个子小”。
★ There are several little children playing in the park.
★ 公园里有几个小孩子在玩。
★ Small children cannot ride this roller coaster.
★ 个子小的孩子不能坐这个过山车。
● LITTLE can be used to show that something is not very significant.
● 表示“不重要的”，用LITTLE。
★ I had a little trouble with the computer, but I worked it out.
★ 我的电脑出了些小故障，但我解决了。
★ Jack said he had a little situation with his sister last night. It seems like now everything is ok.
★ 杰克说昨晚他和他的妹妹之间出了点小状况。现在看来，一切都好了。
● LITTLE/A LITTLE can be used to talk about quantity and are used with uncountable nouns.
● LITTLE/A LITTLE可用来谈论数量，用来修饰不可数名词。
◆ LITTLE is used for negative idea and it means “nearly nothing”.
◆ LITTLE表否定，意为“几乎没有”。
★ I had little money and little free time.
★ 我没什么钱，也没多少空闲时间。
★ She said little or nothing about her experience.
★ 她对自己的经历几乎只字不提。
◆ A LITTLE is used for positive idea and it means “some but not much”.
◆ A LITTLE表肯定，意为“少许、稍微”。
★ She didn’t eat anything, but she drank a little water.
★ 她什么都没吃，但喝了点水。
★ A little care probably could have prevented this traffic accident.
★ 当时稍微小心一点就可能防止这场车祸的发生。
★ A little food would do us all some good.
★ 吃点东西，对我们大家都会有好处。
★ I got little sleep last night. I’m so sleepy.
★ 我昨天晚上几乎没睡。我好困。
★ I got a little sleep last night. I’m ok.
★ 我昨晚睡了一会儿。我还好。
● We also use A LITTLE BIT OF + Uncountable Nouns to talk about a small quantity.
● A LITTLE BIT OF + 不可数名词，意为“一点点”。
★ You have a little bit of mustard on your shirt.
★ 你的衬衫上有一点芥末。
★ I ate a little bit of the potato salad. It is very delicious.
★ 我吃了点儿土豆沙拉，非常好吃。
★ Can I have a little bit of your time?
★ 我可以占用你一点时间吗？
SMALL:
● SMALL is usually used to talk about the physical size or dimensions (length, width, height, depth, etc.). SMALL could also be used to describe the height of a person.
● SMALL通常用于描述物理大小或物理尺寸（长、宽、高、深等）。SMALL也可用来形容人的身高。
★ He is small in stature.
★ 他个头小。
★ The airplane seats are only a good fit for small adults.
★ 飞机上的座位只适合小个子的成年人。
★ Can I have a small coffee please?
★ 麻烦给我来一小杯咖啡。
● Another different use of SMALL is when comparing one thing with another.
● 比较级、最高级中用SMALL。
★ My new phone is smaller than the old one.
★ 我的新手机比旧手机小。
★ That is the smallest coffee cup I have ever seen!
★ 这是我见过的最小的咖啡杯。
● The comparative form LITTLER and the superlative form LITTLEST are mostly used in spoken English to talk about young children. And the superlative LITTLEST can also be used to describe something is cute and very small.
● LITTLE的比较级LITTLER和最高级LITTLEST常用于英语口语中来形容孩童。最高级LITTLEST也可用来形容某物又小又可爱。
★ The littler kids had been sent to bed.
★ 年纪小一点的孩子已经睡觉去了。
★ He used to be the littlest boy in the school.
★ 他曾经是学校里年纪最小的男孩。
★ This is the littlest puppy I have ever seen!
★ 这是我见过的最小最可爱的小狗狗。
