Little Is Overused by Many Writers

We’ve all heard the adage that little things can make a big difference. Unfortunately, too many little repetitions can make a big difference in writing too, maybe even enough to scare away readers.

One Word, Multiple Shades of Meaning

Little can refer to size: a little fish.

It might mean a small amount: a little soya sauce.

People say it to stress a point: “There’s little chance of that happening.”

Little could signify a small degree: little–understood facts.

It can emphasize the smallness of an amount: a little bit.

Because the word has so many nuances, it creeps into writing unawares.

Let’s Edit Little Out of a Few Example Sentences

The changes are simple. I won’t comment on show vs. tell or other literary prejudices.

Add a little baking soda to your coffee to lower its acidity.

Add a pinch of baking soda to your coffee to lower its acidity.

A pinch provides an exact amount. Readers with GERD might even try this. (It works, by the way.)

He’s too little to go on the roller coaster.

He’s too short to go on the roller coaster.

You’ve probably seen the signs YOU MUST BE THIS TALL posted outside many amusement rides. Height should be expressed as short or tall, not little or big.

I think I’m a little ineb … inebri … drunk.

I think I’m a tad ineb … inebri … drunk.

Hmm. Maybe a drunk person would use little instead of tad. We should keep our dialogue realistic, right?

She relaxed a little when she saw the clouds clearing.

She relaxed slightly when she saw the clouds clearing.

Did she relax just a bit? Or did she relax — period? Maybe the qualifier is unnecessary.

The little dog ate like a horse.

The runty dog ate like a horse.

The second sentence provides a mental image of a tiny dog with a humongous appetite.

Consider a Longer Example

Mr. Eldridge scowled. “I’m a little disappointed by your performance review, Girard.” A little tic played at one corner of his mouth, and his beady little eyes darted back and forth as he shuffled through the pages of Girard’s evaluation. “You have two choices. Take a little cut in pay or quit.”

Girard made a little choking sound in his throat. “A c-c-cut in pay? I c-c-can’t afford that. My little girl needs special care, with her autism and all, and my wife just lost her job.”

“Lost her job? That’s why you’ve been a little distracted lately. I remember your wife. Well-qualified. Tell the little woman to contact Jolene in Human Resources. They need a new placement officer.”

“Thank you sir, I —”

“You’re welcome. Wifey can help you find a new job.”

Most first drafts are rough. This one is no exception, with eight repetitions of little. Time to roll up the sleeves and make a few edits.

Mr. Eldridge scowled. “I’m not happy about your performance review, Girard.” A tiny tic played at one corner of his mouth, and his ferret eyes darted back and forth as he shuffled through the pages of Girard’s evaluation. “You have two choices. Take a modest cut in pay or quit.”

Girard made a gurgling sound in his throat. “A c-c-cut in pay? I c-c-can’t afford that. My first grader needs special care, with her autism and all, and my wife just lost her job.”

“Lost her job? That’s why you’ve been preoccupied lately. I remember your wife. Well-qualified. Tell the little woman to contact Jolene in Human Resources. They need a new placement officer.”

“Thank you sir, I —”

“You’re welcome. Wifey can help you find a new job.”

The edited version retains one instance of little, plus Wifey, to show Mr. Eldridge’s misogynistic attitude toward women. Changing the description of his eyes is classic show. The age of Girard’s girl becomes tangible by describing her as a first-grader.

Do You Hyphenate Adjectives Correctly?

As mentioned in previous posts, The Chicago Manual of Style recommends that writers hyphenate compound adjectives if they appear before nouns.

Compare the following examples:

Tristan tossed a peanut-sized potato onto the compost pile.

The potato Tristan tossed onto the compost pile was peanut sized.

Wendi wore an itsy-bitsy bikini.

Wendi’s bikini was itsy bitsy.

Exercises and Story Prompts

Edit the following, eliminating most instances of little. Feel free to use these as story prompts.

#1. Nobody noticed the little insect scuttling across the floor. They were too busy clinking glasses, discussing their imaginary little problems, and laughing their fake little society laughs.

Josh smiled as he watched the wireless video feed broadcasting from his little bug, LittleEye Rov II. The rover drone followed Carmen and Vanessa into a bedroom and recorded their little tryst. It scrabbled into a closet and eavesdropped on the details of a little bribe between a contractor and the mayor.

Ahh, blackmail. A little here, a little there, a little more money in Josh’s bank account. Life was good.

#2. A solitary little star sparkled in the night sky. Wharton felt more than a little dazed. Where were the rest of the stars? He tried to remember.

His brain was a little fuzzy, but he recalled a little jolt. The cockpit of the little terrestrial exploration unit had flashed a brilliant laser blue, and everything had gone black.

Where was he? Where were the little rivulets of water, the vegetation, and the escarpments in the distance?

Little tremors shook the ground. He scrambled away from the rocks and sprawled face down in the sand, hands covering his head.

#3. “A little more time. I just need a little more time.” Erik sniffled. “I got a little money coming to me in two days. From Jenny. I’ll pay. I promise I’ll pay.”

Rocco leaned against the doorjamb. “Yeah? That’s what you said last week, you little loser. Your sis gonna give you enough to pay up?”

“Yes, I swear on my mama’s grave and Jenny’s life.”

Jenny’s voice sounded from somewhere behind Erik. “Rocco, you here again? Get out of here, you little bully.”

Rocco backed away, little hands held high in surrender.

Jenny slammed the door in his face and stared down at her little brother. “Don’t you go swearin’ on Mama’s grave or my life no more, you hear? Allowance day ain’t ’til Friday, and you ain’t givin’ none of it to Rocco.”

#4. “Hey, Bobbie,” Carlene called toward the den, “come to the bedroom quick if you want a little surprise.”

Bare feet swished against the carpet in the hallway. Her husband’s head appeared in the doorway. “A little surprise?” He tugged at his T-shirt. “I’m in — or at least I will be in a little minute.”

“Not so fast, bucko. I think we’ve got our wires crossed.”

Bobbie stopped, T-shirt half on, half off, and scowled.

She held up her cell phone. “I just got a text from [Insert a character here. Bobbie’s parents? Carlene’s parents? An old girlfriend or boyfriend? Are they coming for a visit?]”

#5. If Grayson held his breath just a little longer, he could make it. Just a little farther. So near. So —

His head broke the surface of the cove. A little runabout roared in his direction. He gasped and yelled, “Hey, over here.”

The runabout continued its course straight toward him.

[What happens next? Does the runabout see Grayson? Does it collide with him? Why is he in the water? Suggestion: Look up the definition of runabout.]

#6. A little knock sounded on the door. Greta laid aside the little booties she was knitting and plodded toward the foyer. She stood on her tiptoes to peer out the little peephole.

A wave of morning sickness swept over her. In a thin little voice, she mumbled through the door, “What do you want, loser?”

Gary answered, “[What does Gary say? Does it reveal something about his identity? He could be the baby’s father, her brother, a drug dealer, her uncle, or a coworker. Why does she call him a loser? Can you reveal the details without making it seem like an infodump?]”

And Now, the List

You’ll find alternatives that embrace the multiple meanings of little.

A
a bit of, a dash of, a dribble of, a hint of, a modest amount of, a pinch of, a shade of, a small amount of, a soupçon of, a speck of, a splash of, a spot of, a sprinkling of, a suggestion of, a suspicion of, a tad, a taste of, a touch of, a trace of, atom-sized, atomic

B to D
baby, bantam, bijou, bite-sized, budding, compact, confined, confining, constrained, constricted, cozy, cramped, dainty, de minimis, diminutive, dinky, dwarfed

E to I
eensy, elfin, embryonic, exiguous, faint, fine, flea-sized, fledgling, flyspeck, footling, gnat-sized, gnomish, half-pint, hardly any, ickle, immature, indiscernible, infant, infinitesimal, insignificant, itsy-bitsy, itty-bitty

J to M
junior, leprechaunesque, Lilliputian, limited, lowercase, manikin, measly, micro-, micron-sized, microscopic, midget, mignon, mini-, miniature, minimal, miniscule, minor, minute, moderate, modest

N to P
nanoscale, narrow, negligible, nit-sized, not much, not often, paltry, peanut-sized, peewee, petite, picayune, piddling, piffling, pilulous, pinprick-sized, pint-sized, pixie, pixie-like, pocket-sized, poky, puny, pygmy

R and S
remotely, restricted, runty, scant, scanty, scrimpy, short, shrimpy, slight, slightly, small, small-scale, snug, some, somewhat, sparse, sprite-sized, sprouting, squat, stunted

T to Y
tadpole-sized, teacup-sized, teensy, teeny-weeny, tiddly, tiny, titchy, to a small extent, to some degree, toy, trifling, undersized, vaguely, vertically-challenged, vest-pocket-sized, wee, weensy, weeny, young