[paxunix]

Couple is two. Few is four. Several is at least five. There is nothing for three, except for very large values of two or very small values of four (these are so uncommon in practice that we just use three).

> Then shalt thou count to three, no more, no less. Three shall be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shall be three. Four shalt thou not count, neither count thou two, excepting that thou then proceed to three. Five is right out.

[kelnos]

I was always taught that few is either three or four, and you cannot definitively infer which without more information.

But I think this just illustrates the point of the article: people are taught different things, and there has been different opinions on usage for hundreds of years, so we just cannot be definitive here.

If you need to convey a specific number, use that number. Even if you aren't completely settled on a number, but you need to tell someone to do something that will ultimately result in a number, do them the courtesy of fixing your indecision, and pick a number to tell them. If you want to convey some semi-amorphous magnitude, and the number ultimately doesn't matter in any concrete way, sure, you can use couple, few, or several.

[seabass-labrax]

The real question, though, is whether 'shrubbery' is a countable noun or not; by extension, is a demand for 'another shrubbery' a valid one?

[glitchc]

Few is 3-5, several is definitely more than 5.