PARTITIVE NOUNS
DEFINITION In English grammar , a partitive is a word or phrase (such as some of or a slice of ) that indicates a part or quantity of something as distinct from a whole. Also called partitive noun or partitive noun phrase . Partitives can appear before mass (or noncount) nouns as well as count nouns . Although most partitive constructions refer to a quantity or amount, some are used to indicate quality or behavior ("the kind of teacher who . . ."). See Examples and Observations below. Also see: A Lot (Much, Many) Collective Nouns Determiner Indefinite Pronouns Nouns Quantifier Etymology From the Latin, "relating to a part" EXAMPLES AND OBSERVATIONS "You must have been warned against letting the golden hours slip by. Yes, but some of them are golden only because we let them slip." (J.M. Barrie, "Courage." Rectorial Address deliv...
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