Contents
Partitive Structures
Partitive structures are used to describe a part, portion, or quantity of a whole. They are commonly used with uncountable nouns (e.g., milk, sugar, advice) and countable nouns in groups (e.g., a group of people, a bunch of grapes).
A quantifier + “of” + a noun
1. Partitive Structures for Uncountable Nouns
Since uncountable nouns cannot be counted directly, we use Partitive expressions to specify an amount.
| Partitive | Example |
| a piece of | a piece of advice |
| a bit of | a bit of sugar |
| a slice of | a slice of bread |
| a loaf of | a loaf of bread |
| a drop of | a drop of water |
| a spoonful of | a spoonful of honey |
| a pinch of | a pinch of salt |
| a grain of | a grain of rice |
Examples:
- She gave me a piece of advice.
- Can I have a slice of cake?
- There’s a drop of milk in my tea.
2. Partitive Structures for Countable Nouns (Groups or Collections)
Partitives can also be used with countable nouns when referring to a group or category.
| Partitive | Example |
| a bunch of | a bunch of bananas |
| a group of | a group of students |
| a pack of | a pack of wolves |
| a herd of | a herd of cows |
| a bouquet of | a bouquet of flowers |
| a pile of | a pile of books |
| a pair of | a pair of shoes |
Examples:
- She bought a bunch of grapes.
- A herd of elephants crossed the road.
- I need a pair of shoes.
Read also: Worksheet – countable and uncountable nouns
Read also: Articles Practice worksheet click here
3. Partitive Structures for Abstract Nouns
Abstract nouns (e.g., happiness, luck, courage) also use partitive expressions.
| Partitive | Example |
| a bit of | a bit of luck |
| a ray of | a ray of hope |
| a sense of | a sense of humour |
| a moment of | a moment of silence |
| a feeling of | a feeling of joy |
Examples:
- We all need a bit of patience.
- The speech gave us a ray of hope.
4. Partitive Structures with Nouns of Location
These expressions refer to a part of a place or space rather than the whole.
Common Structures:
- A part of + [location] → A part of the city is under construction.
- A section of + [location] → A section of the park is closed.
- A corner of + [location] → There is a café in a corner of the street.
- An area of + [location] → An area of the country is affected by flooding.
- A side of + [location] → They live on the other side of town.
- The middle of + [location] → The fountain is in the middle of the square.
Examples:
- A portion of the land is used for farming.
- They explored a region of the forest with rare animals.
- Only one part of the country experiences snow.
5. Partitive Structures with Nouns of Time
These expressions refer to a segment or portion of time rather than the whole duration.
Common Structures:
- A moment of + [time] → I need a moment of your time.
- A period of + [time] → They stayed for a short period of time.
- A section of + [time] → The first section of the film is slow.
- A portion of + [time] → I spent a portion of my day reading.
- The middle of + [time] → We arrived in the middle of the night.
- The start/beginning of + [time] → At the beginning of the year, I set new goals.
Examples:
- She spent a fraction of her vacation working.
- The best part of the day is the morning.
- We will meet in the early part of the evening.
6. Comparison Table
| Category | Partitive Structure | Example |
| Location | A part of the city | A part of the city is modern. |
| Location | A section of the park | A section of the park is closed. |
| Location | The middle of the street | He stopped in the middle of the street. |
| Time | A period of time | They worked for a short period of time. |
| Time | A moment of your time | May I have a moment of your time? |
| Time | The beginning of the year | At the beginning of the year, we traveled. |
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