Partitives: 'a piece of', etc.

1)  We use partitive to refer to:

- one item: a loaf of bread

- a part of a whole: a slice of bread

- a collection of items: a packet of biscuits

2)  The most common partitives are a piece of and (in everyday speech) a bit of:

Can I have a piece of bread/a bit of bread/two pieces of bread, please?

3) There are partitives which go with some words but not with others. So we can say a slice of bread, a slice of cake, a slice of meat (but not *a slice of soap').

Partitives can be 'containers' ( a tin of soup) or can refer to small amounts (a drop of rain).

Write: Match A and B.

A                                                              B

1 I'd like some ice. .....a cup of ice…       a wisp of…...

2 Have you got any chocolate? ....           a cube of…..

3 Can I have some bread, please? …       a splash of…..

4 We need some paper…                         a box of…..

5 Buy me some soap, please….               a sip of…..

6 Buy me some milk, please…                a tube of…..

7 We need some jam…                            a drop of…..

8 Have you got any matches?...               a bar of…..

9 I've made some tea…                            a slice of…..

10 Buy some toothpaste…                       a pinch of…..

11 Add a little water…                            a sheet of…..

12 Add a little salt….                              a jar of…..

13 I've drunk a littletea….                      a bar of…..

14 Add a little soda…                             a bottle of…..

15 I can see a little smoke…                   a pot of…..

Number (singular and plural) (1)

Nouns with plurals ending in -s or -es: 'friends', 'matches'

   1)       We add -s to form the plural of most nouns.

We pronounce -s as Is/ after these sounds: If/ chiefs; /k/ cakes; /p/ taps; It/ pets; 101 months.

We pronounce -s as /z/ after these sounds: /b/ verbs; Id/ friends; /g/ bags; /I/ bells; /m/ names;

In/ lessons; /q/ songs; vowel (a, e, i, o, u) + s: eyes, or vowel sound + r: chairs.

2)      We add -es after nouns ending in -o: potato -potatoes; -s: class -classes;

-x: box - boxes; -ch: match - matches; -sh: dish - dishes.

Nouns with plurals ending in -s or -es: 'countries', 'knives'

   1)       Consonant (b, c, d, etc.) + -y becomes -ies: country/countries, strawberry/strawberries.

   2)       Vowel (a, e, o and u) + -y adds an -s: days, keys, boys, guys.

Proper nouns (names spelt with a capital letter) ending in -y just add an -s:

Have you met the Kennedys? The last four Januarys have been very cold.

   3)       We change the ending -for -fe into -ves in the plural with the following nouns:

calf/calves, half/halves, knife/knives, leaf/leaves, life/lives, loaf/loaves, self/selves,

sheaf/sheaves, shelf/shelves, thief/thieves, wife/wives and wolf/wolves.

   4)       We add -s or -ves to: hoof - hoofs/hooves, scarf - scarfs/scarves.

   5)       We just add -s to: handkerchief/handkerchiefs, roof/roofs.

Nouns ending in -o and some irregular plural forms

   1)       To nouns ending in -0, we add -es: hero - heroes, potato -potatoes, tomato - tomatoes.

Or we add -es or -s: cargo - cargoes or cargos, volcano - volcanoes or volcanos.

Or we add only -s: bamboos, photos, pianos, radios, solos, videos, zoos.

   2)       We change the vowels of some nouns to form the plural: foot/feet, goose/geese, madmen, mouse/mice, tooth/teeth, woman/women. And note: child/children, ox/oxen.

   3)       Some nouns have the same singular and plural forms: aircraft, deer, salmon, trout, sheep.

   4)       Nationality nouns ending in -ese and -ss have the same singular and plural forms:

a Chinese - the Chinese; a Swiss - the Swiss.