Common Mistakes : Bit
.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
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
.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
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
.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
(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