partitives

Guys at end of the lessen you’re going to find some exercises and a video, the video it is not optional, you have got to watch it, have fun!

Etymology:

From the Latin, "relating to a part"

Examples and Observations:

"You can fool all the people some of the time, andsome of the people all of the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time."
(Abraham Lincoln)

"A lot of movies are about life; mine are like a slice of cake."
(Alfred Hitchcock)

"Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck."
(Dalai Lama)

"You know, I don't know whether I ought to or not, but I feel awfully happy--in a sort of sad way."
(Valerie in The World of Orient, 1964)

"The poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest poverty. We must start in our own homes to remedy this kind of poverty."
(Mother Teresa)

"One handful of peace and quiet is better than two handfuls of hard work and of trying to catch the wind."
(Ecclesiastes)

"Partitive expressions collocate strongly with particular non-count nouns:

a loaf of bread
two slices of bread/cake/cheese/chicken breast
a bar of chocolate/soap
a bit of fun
a piece of furniture
a stroke of luck
a spell of bad weather

. . . Partitive expressions commonly refer to the shape, size, movement or the amount of something:

There's a whole stream of people queuing outside the post office.
e.g. He gave us a torrent of abuse.

. . . Some partitive expressions with -ful refer to containers or spaces which commonly hold the item referred to. These include bowlful of, cupful of, fistful of, handful of, mouthful of, spoonful of:

He gave me a fistful of cash. I don't know how much it was all together.

I always add a spoonful of salt to the pasta water.

The plural of such expressions is usually formed by adding -s after -ful."
(Ronald Carter and Michael McCarthy, Cambridge Grammar of English. Cambridge Univ. Press, 2006)

Count/Non-Count Food Partitives

Click the answer button to see the answer.

1.     Please go to the store and pick up a ___ of milk.
a. bag
b. half gallon
c. dozen
d. pound

2.     This recipe calls for a ___ of butter.
a. dozen
b. tube
c. stick
d. can

3.     My cat eats a ___ of tuna every day.
a. can
b. loaf
c. bottle
d. bag

4.     I like to drink a ___ of mineral water after I exercise.
a. pound
b. stick
c. teaspoon
d. bottle

5.     I want to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. But the ___ of peanut butter is empty.
a. six-pack
b. jar
c. head
d. box

6.     I need three ___ of yogurt from the dairy section.
a. tubes
b. pounds
c. containers
d. dozens

7.     If you want coffee with breakfast, you should buy a ___ of coffee tonight.
a. gallon
b. pound
c. cup
d. quart

8.     I would like a large, green ___ of lettuce for tonight's salad.
a. head
b. jar
c. can
d. half a cup

9.     Would you like a ___ of chocolate or vanilla ice cream?
a. half dozen
b. pint
c. bag
d. can

10. Pick up ___ of whole wheat bread at the bakery.
a. half a pound
b. a box
c. a twelve-pak
d. a loaf

11. I need ___ eggs for the Easter egg hunt.
a. a gallon
b. a quart of
c. half a dozen
d. a teaspoon of

12. I need a ___ of ground beef to make hamburgers for the picnic.
a. pint
b. box
c. head
d. pound and a half

13. We need a ___ of rice to make our special chicken and rice dish.
a. box
b. gallon
c. loaf
d. teaspoon

14. The ___ of toothpaste are located in the health and beauty section of the supermarket.
a. quarts
b. tubes
c. pints
d. sticks

15. Pick up a ___ of soda for the party tonight.
a. head
b. jar
c. bag
d. six-pack

16. Order ____ Swiss cheese at the deli counter.
a. a pint
b. half a pound
c. a quart
d. a jar

17. This recipe needs a ___ of salt.
a. teaspoon
b. loaf
c. six-pack
d. stick

18. Go get a ___ of bananas in the produce section at the front of the store.
a. head
b. dozen
c. bunch
d. pint

19. We need a ___ of orange juice for tomorrow morning.
a. pound
b. quart
c. bag
d. stick

20. Buy a ___ of chocolate chip cookies for dessert.
a. bag
b. half a gallon
c. teaspoon
d. loaf