Few and far between means rare: there are few of these things or events, with long gaps between them. People say it about things they'd like more of: good jobs, sunny days, petrol stations on a motorway. The phrase describes the things themselves and comes after be: Good jobs are few and far between.
When would you say few and far between?
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plural noun + be + few and far between; moments/chances like that are few and far between
- Sunny days are few and far between here in November.
- Well-paid part-time jobs for students are few and far between.
- On this road petrol stations are few and far between, so fill up before you leave.
What changed
First versionIn our village the buses go few and far between.
RevisionIn our village the buses are few and far between.
It's tempting to use go and describe how the buses run. But few and far between describes the buses themselves, not their movement, so it needs be. Go was replaced with are.
If you want to say how often something happens, use once in a blue moon, meaning “hardly ever”: The bus comes once in a blue moon. Few and far between describes the things themselves: Buses are few and far between here.
Your turn
In this small town, good restaurants are ___, so we usually cook at home.
Show the answer
few and far between — After are, you need a description of the restaurants themselves: there aren't many, they're rare, so few and far between. Once in a blue moon answers the question “how often?” and doesn't follow are when you describe restaurants.
Write about something there isn't much of in your town or area. Name it and say how you get around the problem.
Cycle lanes are few and far between in my district, so I usually ride to work through the park.
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