'My English is really quite good. I need little help'.

[Odessa Dawn]

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'My English is really quite good. I need little help'.
https://www.usingenglish.com/forum/ask-teacher/186160-i-need-little-help-clear-1-thing.html - post # 5

My primary goal of this thread is to learn something about the rules of written English.

1. Are these sentences punctuated correctly?

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My English is really quite good, and I need little help.
My English is really quite good; I need little help.

2. I think that the conjunction "But" doesn’t work here since "Little" is used negatively. So, the conjunction "And" has been used correctly, hasn’t it?

My English is really quite good and I need little help.
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[SoothingDave]

I would use "but." Or I would state it as two sentences. I would not attempt to splice it together with a semicolon.

 

[Grumpy]

I agree with Odessa Dawn that "but" would not be appropriate. The writer is not saying "I need a little help"; he is saying that he doesn't really need much help at all. Either "and" or "so" , preceded by a comma, could be used.

 

[SoothingDave]

I agree with Odessa Dawn that "but" would not be appropriate. The writer is not saying "I need a little help"; he is saying that he doesn't really need much help at all. Either "and" or "so" , preceded by a comma, could be used.

You are correct, I read that with an "a" in there.

 

[BobK]

:up: 'But' is adversative, so this would work:

My English is quite good, but I need a little help. (The stress is on the quite, so that it implies 'quite...but not good enough'.)

Also this:

My English is quite good, and I need little help. (The stress is on the good.)

b

 

[Tdol]

And the semicolon version works too.