Choose the correct word. There are potatoes left.

Grammar

Choose the correct word.

There are _____ potatoes left.

• little
• any
• no

Explanation:

We use 'little' or 'few' with nouns that are uncountable or countable respectively, to indicate a small amount or number. 'Any' is typically used in questions and negative sentences, or in conditional clauses. 'No' is a determiner that means 'not any'. Since 'potatoes' is a countable noun and the sentence is a statement, we need to choose between 'little' (which is used for uncountable nouns, though sometimes colloquially for countable nouns) and 'any' or 'no' which would require a different sentence structure to fit grammatically and contextually. In this context, 'any' fits best to indicate a quantity (or lack thereof) in a statement that could be interpreted as a general observation or a response to an unstated question about the quantity of potatoes. However, considering common usage for countable nouns in positive statements implying a small quantity, 'few' would be ideal, but it's not an option. Between 'little' and 'any', 'any' is often used in statements to express 'some' or 'a certain amount' when the exact quantity is not specified or is the focus. If the question was "Are there any potatoes left?", the answer could be "Yes, there are some." or "No, there are no potatoes left.". In this positive statement "There are ... potatoes left.", if we consider a small, unspecified quantity, 'any' can sometimes be used, though 'some' is more common. 'Little' is incorrect with countable nouns like 'potatoes'. 'No' would change the meaning entirely to "There are no potatoes left." which implies zero. Given the options, and the typical structure of such exercises, 'any' is the most plausible choice in a multiple-choice scenario where 'few' is absent and 'little' is grammatically incorrect for countable nouns. However, if the intention is to express a small, unspecified number, 'any' is often used in contexts where 'some' would be more precise in a positive statement. Often in tests like this, 'any' is presented as an option for quantity in positive statements when 'some' is not available and the context allows for it to mean 'some' or 'a certain amount'. Given that 'potatoes' is plural and countable, 'little' is definitively incorrect. 'No' would mean zero. Therefore, 'any' is the most likely correct answer in this context, implying 'a certain quantity'.

Answer: any