a couple is (are?) two. a few depends somewhat on what the objects are. A few grapefruit can be as few as two or as many as four. A few grapes can be as few as three or as many as a bunch if you're feeding more than a few people. ;) I think a few and several are synonymous in my mind, with the slight exception that several has the connotation of separation, so I'm more like to say "a few" if I'm talking about things that are identical or interchangeable, and more likely to use several if I'm talking about apples and oranges, so to speak.
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a few depends somewhat on what the objects are. A few grapefruit can be as few as two or as many as four. A few grapes can be as few as three or as many as a bunch if you're feeding more than a few people. ;)
I think a few and several are synonymous in my mind, with the slight exception that several has the connotation of separation, so I'm more like to say "a few" if I'm talking about things that are identical or interchangeable, and more likely to use several if I'm talking about apples and oranges, so to speak.