Sign inPartitives
Partitives are used to refer to an amount or number of something. Follow the article to learn more about them.
What Are Partitives?
Partitives are words or phrases that are used to express a part of a whole. In English grammar, partitives are often used with uncountable nouns or plural countable nouns.
Partitives: Types
There are two types of partitives:
- Definite partitives
- Indefinite partitives
Definite Partitives
'Definite partitives' are used to refer to an exact amount or number of something. Definite partitives can be used before countable or uncountable nouns. Here are some of the most common definite partitives:
- Spoon of
- Bunch of
- Flock of
- Bottle of
- Piece of
- Slice of
- Glass of
These partitives are always followed by the preposition 'of' and we can use articles before them. Check out the examples:
Add two
They bought six
The girl had only one
Indefinite Partitives
'Indefinite partitives' are used to refer to an indefinite, or unexact number or amount of something. Here are some of the most important indefinite partitives:
using the partitive 'piece of' in a sentence
Take a look at some examples with indefinite partitives:
Pour
Concrete or Abstract Nouns?
'Partitives' can define the amount or number of both concrete and abstract nouns. Pay attention to the examples:
We watched
He came up with
I have cut
Partitives: Structure
Here are the common rules governing the use of partitives in English. Learning the rules helps you understand them better.
1- Pre-determiners
An important point to remember is that partitive phrases are always used as 'pre-determiners.' This is why we can use articles or other determiners after them. For example:
Tip!
Some indefinite partitives can be used without the preposition 'of'. In this case, they function as indefinite quantifiers that are used as post-determiners. Here are some examples:
Those
2- Countable and Uncountable Nouns
Countable nouns are always used in plural form after the partitives, while uncountable nouns are always used in singular form after them. Check out the examples:
Some of the
Use a spoonful of
3- Plural Partitives
You can use a 'plural partitive' if it corresponds to the meaning of the sentence. Check out the examples:
We have bought two
Review
Partitives are words that are used before a noun to refer to only a part of the particular noun. There are two types of partitives as follows.
- Definite partitives
- Indefinite partitives
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Indefinite Articles
The indefinite articles in English language are 'a/an'. They refer to a noun for the first time or a general noun when its identity is unknown.
Definite Article
The definite article in English language is 'the'. It is used before a noun to show that the noun is known to the reader. Learn about this useful article!
Zero Article
Some nouns and noun phrases are used with no articles preceding them. In this article, we will learn about them.
