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