Talking about amounts of things: partitives

2.211 When you want to talk about a particular quantity of something you can use a partitive structure which consists of a particular partitive linked by 'of' to another noun. The partitives are all count nouns.

Who owns this bit of land?

...portions of mashed potato.

If the partitive is singular, then the verb used with it is usually singular. If it is plural, the verb is also plural.

A piece of paper is lifeless.

Two pieces of metal were being rubbed together.

Note that all partitives consist of two or more words, because 'of' is needed in every case. 'Of' is printed in the lists below as a reminder.

2.212 When the noun after the partitive is an uncount noun, you can use count nouns such as 'bit', 'drop', 'lump', or 'piece' as the partitive.

Here's a bit of paper.

...a drop of blood.

...a cobweb covered with little drops of dew.

...a tiny piece of material.

...a pinch of salt.

...specks of dust.

These partitives can be used without 'of' when it is obvious what you are talking about.

He sat down in the kitchen before a plate of cold ham, but he had only eaten one piece when the phone rang.

2.213 Here is a list of partitives used with uncount nouns:

amount of bit of blob of clump of dash of drop of

grain of heap of knob of lump of mass of morsel of

mountain of piece of pile of pinch of pool of portion of

scrap of sheet of shred of slice of speck of spot of

touch of trace of

Some of these partitives are also used with plural nouns which refer to things which together form a mass.

...a huge heap of stones.

...a pile of materials.

Here is a list of partitives used with both uncount and plural nouns:

amount of clump of

heap of mass of

mountain of pile of

portion of

2.214 Many nouns which indicate the shape of an amount of something can also be partitives with uncount or plural nouns.

...a ball of wool

...columns of smoke.

...a ring of excited faces.

Here is a list of partitives indicating the shape of amount of something:

ball of column of ring of

shaft of square of stick of

strip of thread of tuft of

wall of

Many nouns which indicate both shape and movement can also be used as partitives.

It blew a jet of water into the air.

...a constant stream of children passing through the door.

Here is a list of partitives indicating both shape and movement:

dribble of gush of

gust of jet of

spurt of stream of

torrent of

This use of partitives to indicate shape, and shape and movement, is a productive feature of English because you can use any noun indicating shape in this way. For example you can talk about 'a triangle of snooker balls'. Productive features are explained in the Introduction.

PRODUCTIVE FEATURE 2.215 There are many nouns which refer to groups that can be used as partitives. They are linked by 'of' to plural nouns which indicate what the group consists of.

It was evaluated by an independent team of inspectors.

A group of journalists gathered at the airport to watch us take off.

...a bunch of flowers.

Here is a list of partitives referring to groups:

audience of bunch of clump of

company of family of flock of

gang of group of herd of

team of troupe of

This use of partitives referring to groups is a productive feature of English because you can use any noun referring to a group of people or things in this way. For example, you can talk about 'an army of volunteers'. Productive features are explained in the Introduction.

measurement nouns 2.216 Nouns referring to measurements are often used in partitive structures to refer to an amount of something which is a particular length, area, volume, or weight. Uncount nouns are used after 'of' in structures referring to length, and both uncount and plural nouns are used in structures referring to weight.

...ten yards of velvet.

Sugar owns only five hundred square metres of land.

I drink a pint of milk a day.

... three pounds of strawberries.

...10 ounces of cheese.

Nouns referring to measurements are explained in paragraphs 2.267 to 2.274.

referring to contents and containers 2.217 You can use partitives when you want to refer to the contents of a container as well as to the container itself. For example, you can refer to a carton filled with milk as 'a carton of milk'.

I went to buy a bag of chips.

The waiter appeared with a bottle of red wine.

...a packet of cigarettes.

...a pot of honey.

...tubes of glue.

You can also use partitives to refer to the contents only.

They drank another bottle of champagne.

She ate a whole box of chocolates.

Here is a list of partitives referring to containers:

bag of barrel of basin of basket of bottle of bowl of box of

bucket of can of carton of case of cask of crate of cup of

glass of jar of jug of mug of pack of packet of plate of

pot of sack of spoon of tablespoon of tank of teaspoon of tin of

tub of tube of tumbler of

2.218 You can add '-ful' to these partitives referring to containers.

He brought me a bagful of sweets.

Pour a bucketful of cold wafer on the ash.

...a cupful of boiled water.

...a tankful of petrol.

Here is a list of partitives referring to containers which can very commonly be used with '-ful':

bag basket box

bucket cup plate

spoon tablespoon tank

teaspoon

When people want to make a noun ending in '-ful' plural, they usually add an '-s' to the end of the word, as in 'bucketfuls'. However some people put the '-s' in front of '-ful', as in 'bucketsful'.

She ladled three spoonfuls of sugar into my tea.

They were collecting basketfuls of apples.

...two teaspoonfuls of powder.

...a teaspoonsful of milk.

2.219 You can also add '-ful' to other partitives.

Eleanor was holding an armful of red roses.

I went outside to throw a handful of bread to the birds.

He took another mouthful of whisky.

...a houseful of children.

This is a productive feature of English. Productive features are explained in the Introduction.

2.220 You can sometimes use a mass noun instead of a partitive structure. For example, 'two teas' means the same as 'two cups of tea', and 'two sugars' means 'two spoonfuls of sugar'.

We drank a couple of beers.

I asked for two coffees with milk.

Mass nouns are explained in paragraphs 1.29 to 1.32.

referring to parts and fractions 2.221 You can use a partitive when you want to talk about a part or a fraction of a particular thing.

I spent a large part of my life in broadcasting.

The system is breaking down in many parts of Africa.

An appreciable portion of the university budget goes into the Community Services area.

...a mass movement involving all segments of society.

Here is a list of partitives referring to a part of something:

part of

portion of

section of

segment of

referring to individual items 2.222 You can use a partitive with an uncount noun referring to things of a certain type when you want to refer to one particular thing of that type.

...an article of clothing.

I bought a few bits of furniture.

Any item of information can be accessed.

Here is a list of partitives referring to one thing of a particular type:

article of

bit of

item of

piece of

Here is a list of uncount nouns referring to things of a certain type that are often used with the partitives listed above:

advice apparatus baggage

clothing equipment furniture

homework information knowledge

luggage machinery news

research

'pair of' 2.223 Some plural nouns refer to things which are normally thought to consist of two parts, such as trousers or scissors. Some others refer to things which are made in twos, such as shoes or socks. When you want to talk about one of these two-part items, or two-items can use partitive 'pair' linked to these plural nouns by 'of'.

...a pair of jeans.

...a pair of tights.

...a dozen pairs of sunglasses.

I bought a pair of tennis shoes.

I smashed three pairs of skis.

These plural nouns are explained in paragraphs 1.42 to 1.47.

PRODUCTIVE FEATURE 2.224 Whenever you want to talk about a limited amount of something, to indicate the area that something occupies, or to specify a particular feature that it has, you can use a noun group which indicates the amount or the nature of the thing linked by 'of' to a noun group which indicates what the thing is. For example, if you say 'a forest of pines', you are talking about a large area of trees. Similarly, you can talk about 'a border of roses'. This structure can be extended very widely, so that you can talk about 'a city of dreaming spires', for example. This is one of the most productive features of English. Productive features are explained in the Introduction.