LoginPartitives
In this lesson, master partitives, which provide detailed information about parts or quantities. Clear explanations and practice exercises to help you learn.
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 glasses of milk to the mixture.
They bought six pairs of shoes for the poor.
The girl had only one piece of cake.
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:
Take a look at some examples with indefinite partitives:
A lot of our students passed the exams.
Many of his friends were doctors.
Pour some of the water on her face.
Concrete or Abstract Nouns?
'Partitives' can define the amount or number of both **concrete and abstract nouns. Pay attention to the examples:
We watched a flock of birds fly by.
He came up with a bunch of excuses for his late arrival.
I have cut a pile of wood.
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:
Lots of the animals were hunted by the hunters. → with determiner (the)
A group of her students protested against the injustice regarding the exams. → with determiner (her)
Two cloves of garlic were used to make the sauce. → without determiner
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:
Some animals live on farms.
Those many moments together make it hard to forget her.
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 workers are not satisfied with the boss.
Use a spoonful of sugar in your coffee.
3- Plural Partitives
You can use a 'plural partitive' if it corresponds to the meaning of the sentence. Check out the examples:
Lots of fruits were grown on this farm.
We have bought two pairs of pants.
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
Quiz:
Fill the table by choosing whether each sentence uses a definite or indefinite partitive.
She drank a glass of the orange juice. | |
Many of our employees work remotely. | |
Add two spoons of the sugar to the mixture. | |
I'll take a slice of that pizza. | |
None of these answers seem correct. |
Sort the words to form a correct sentence with a partitive.
Which option does not include a partitive?
Some of the guests arrived late.
We need a slice of bread.
Add two spoons of the sugar.
Many of his ideas were rejected.
Complete each sentence with the correct partitive form the parentheses.
the students passed the exam. (Many of/Slice of)
She added
the salt to the soup. (a number of/some of)
I need
the juice for the party. (two bottles of/two pieces of)
these apples are rotten. (a lot of/a spoon of)
Which partitive phrase indicates the smallest portion of a whole?
Some of the guests arrived early.
Half of the students passed the test.
Many of the cookies remained.
A lot of the cake was eaten.
Comments
(0)
Recommended
