1.   Mr Wingate was full of explanations, and precious few of them made sense.

2.   Mr Wingate was full of explanations, but precious few of them made sense.

3.   Only the talented few make the grade in professional golf.

4.   A few made it to shore and escaped.

5.   Everyone comes to know failure sooner or later, but some few of us make a grimmer acquaintance.

6.   In most cases, those panels created a short list of works, from which a designated few made the final selection.

7.   Most people say they are happy to bequeath their organs after death, but far fewer make these wishes known in a formal way.

8.   Only a very few make it all the way through.

9.   Some were with adult guardians, some were with other schoolchildren, and a few made the acquaintance of police officers.

10.   Very few made a connection between spending time on trivial e-mail and finding it hard to get their work done.