Tonight’s song is a conversation in music: a man and a woman take turns. He says he needs a little time, a little space, to think. She lets him go. And then, later, the tables are turned.
Learn from Songs · Unit 12: Review · B1
A Little Time
The Beautiful South’s number one duet, an argument between a man and a woman: need + noun / need to, a little / a few / little / few, the present perfect (I’ve had time to think), and how a conversation can turn around, with Philo, Sophia, Marcos and Demetria.
SOPHIA
DEMETRIA
Turned? How?
SOPHIA
Listen and find out. It’s a funny, sharp duet, and it was number one in Britain. Perfect for practising need, and a little and a few.
MARCOS
I need a little time to understand that.
Before you listen: the song
Hull, 1990
The Beautiful South were a band from Hull, in the north of England, formed by Paul Heaton and Dave Rotheray, famous for catchy tunes with clever, often bitter words. They had three singers who took turns.
“A Little Time” is sung by Dave Hemingway and Briana Corrigan, playing a couple whose relationship is ending. It went to number one in Britain in 1990, and its video, in which the couple throw things around a flat, won a Brit Award.
In the song, the man says he needs a little time and space. She agrees. But when he has had his time and wants to come back, she has some things to say too.
Time to think works both ways.
Listen: the conversation
PHILO
Listen once. What does he need? What does she do? How does it end?
SOPHIA
Then answer Section A.
⏳ Listen to the song: “A Little Time” (Paul Heaton and Dave Rotheray, 1990), by the Beautiful South.Find the recording →
📜 Read the words while you listen: “A Little Time”, the Beautiful South.Read the lyrics →
Need + noun, need to + infinitive
MARCOS
I need a little time. I need to think. You don’t need to shout. Do you need anything?
SOPHIA
need + noun: I need help. need to + infinitive: I need to go. don’t need to / needn’t = not necessary.
A little, a few, little, few
DEMETRIA
a little time, a little space (uncountable); a few days, a few friends (countable).
SOPHIA
a little / a few = some, enough (positive). little / few (no a) = not enough (negative): We have little time, hurry! Few people came.
Present perfect: I’ve had time
PHILO
I’ve had a little time to think. I’ve made up my mind. You’ve changed.
SOPHIA
have / has + past participle when the result matters now: I’ve thought about it (and now I know). No finished time with it: not “I’ve had time yesterday”.
Sophia’s comparison: the prodigal son and Penelope
PHILO
The younger son took his share and went away to a far country to be free. When he had spent everything, he came home, and his father ran to meet him. But his older brother wasn’t so pleased.
SOPHIA
And Penelope, after twenty years, didn’t simply run into Odysseus’s arms when he came home. She tested him first, with the secret of their bed. Time apart changes both people.
Sophia’s summary
| Words and forms | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| need + noun / need to + infinitive | necessity | I need time. I need to think. |
| a little + uncountable | some (positive) | a little time |
| a few + plural | some (positive) | a few days |
| little / few | not enough | Few people came. |
| have / has + past participle | result now | I’ve had time to think. |
Practice
Listen to the song for Section A, then do the rest. Press “Check my answers” at the end. You can try again as many times as you like.
A · Listen: the song
Listen to the song and choose the best answer.
1. What does the man need?
2. How many singers are there?
3. What happens when he wants to come back?
4. Where were the Beautiful South from?
5. What did the video win?
6. How high did it reach in Britain?
B · Grammar and vocabulary
Write the missing word or words.
7. I need a time. (some)
8. I need think.
9. I’ll be back in a days.
10. Hurry! We have time. (not enough)
11. I’ve time to think. (have)
12. You don’t to shout.
C · Right or wrong?
Is the sentence correct English?
13. “I need a few time.”
14. “Few people came, so the party was quiet.”
15. “I’ve had time to think last week.”
16. “You needn’t worry.”
Talk and write
Discussion and writing
Duet role-play. In pairs, write a short dialogue where one person asks for time and space, and later wants to come back. Use need, a little, a few and the present perfect.
Discuss. 1. Is it a good idea to take time apart? 2. Why do duets work so well for arguments? 3. What do you need a little more of in your life?
Write (100–120 words). A little time. Write about a time you needed time to think about something. Use need / need to, a little, a few and the present perfect.
Now play the gamebook: two partners, a little time apart, and a fair division.Play the gamebook →