BIT


Meaning of BIT in English

I

noun

See BIT (↑ bit )

II

pronoun

1

DUBIOUS : 'An' is a bit problematic.

GOOD : 'An' is slightly problematic.

DUBIOUS : The instructions were a little bit confusing.

GOOD : The instructions were a little confusing.

DUBIOUS : My diet is a little bit different nowadays.

GOOD : My diet is slightly different nowadays.

BAD : Thank you very much for giving us a bit of your free time.

GOOD : Thank you very much for giving us a little of your free time.

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A bit and a little bit are used mainly in informal styles. In other styles, it is better to use a little, slightly, rather, quite or somewhat : 'His brother was somewhat older than we had expected.'

2

BAD : I watched a little bit television and went to bed.

GOOD : I watched a little television and went to bed.

GOOD : I watched a bit of television and went to bed.

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Use a (little) bit before adjectives: 'She looked a bit tired.'

Before nouns, use a little or (in informal styles) a (little) bit of : 'He could do with a little help.' 'He's been a bit of a nuisance recently.'

3

BAD : He is a little bit too short to be a policeman.

GOOD : He is a bit/little too short to be a policeman.

GOOD : He is slightly too short to be a policeman.

BAD : The speech was a little bit too formal.

GOOD : The speech was a bit/little too formal.

GOOD : The speech was slightly too formal.

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Use a bit/little too or slightly/rather/somewhat too (NOT a little bit too ): 'She is still a bit too young.' 'The pears were a little too hard.' 'The basic salary is rather too low.'

Longman Common Errors English vocabulary.      Английский словарь распространенных ошибок Longman.