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# partitive

adjective (partitive); noun (a partitive, partitives) (grammar)

«partitive» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. (grammar) A word or phrase that shows a part of a whole or an amount, such as "some of", "a piece of", "a slice of", "a glass of". [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/partitive/#m1)
2. (French) The partitive article "du, de la, des" meaning "some": "du pain" means "some bread". [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/partitive/#m2)

### In the lessons

In English grammar, partitive phrases let us count uncountable things: "a loaf of bread", "a cup of tea", "a piece of advice". In French lessons, the partitive article is used before food: "Je voudrais du fromage" (I'd like some cheese). In maths, partitive division means sharing into equal groups.

### Examples

- "A slice of cake" is a partitive phrase. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/partitive/#x1)
- "Some of the children" uses a partitive. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/partitive/#x2)
- In French, "de la confiture" means "some jam" (a partitive). [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/partitive/#x3)
- Use a partitive like "a piece of" with uncountable nouns: a piece of information. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/partitive/#x4)
- "A bar of chocolate" is a partitive phrase. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/partitive/#x5)
- In partitive division, 12 sweets shared among 3 children gives 4 each. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/partitive/#x6)

### Note

A grammar term for older pupils. Common English partitives: a piece of, a bit of, a slice of, a cup of, a glass of, a bottle of, some of, most of. In maths, "partitive division" means sharing a total into a known number of groups (12 / 3 = 4 in each group).

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «partitive» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/partitive/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«partitive» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/partitive.html) on Mova free.