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
ending in -ful
2.201 You can add -ful to these partitives referring to containers.
He brought me a bagful of sweets.
Pour a bucketful of cold water on the ash.
…a cupful of boiled water.
…a tankful of petrol.
Here is a list of partitives referring to containers that are very commonly 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.
…2 teaspoonsful of milk.
2.202 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.
2.203 You 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 1.28 to 1.31.
referring to parts and fractions
2.204 You 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.
A large 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
2.205 You use a partitive with an uncountable 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 uncountable 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
2.206 Some plural nouns refer to things that are normally thought to consist of two parts, such as trousers or scissors. Some others refer to things that are made in twos, such as shoes or socks. When you want to talk about one of these two-part items, or two-item sets, you use the 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 1.41 to 1.46.
2.207 Whenever you want to (i) talk about a limited amount of something, (ii) indicate the area that something occupies, or (iii) specify a particular feature that something has, you can use a noun that indicates the amount or the nature of the thing (e.g. a bottle), linked by of to a noun that indicates what the thing is (e.g. water).
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.
Referring to an exact number of things: numbers
cardinal numbers
2.208 When you want to refer to an exact number of things, you use numbers such as two, thirty, and 777, which are called cardinal numbers, or sometimes cardinals.
I’m going to ask you thirty questions.
…two hundred and sixty copies of the record.
The cardinal numbers are listed in the Reference Section and their use is explained in paragraphs 2.213 to 2.231.
ordinal numbers
2.209 When you want to identify or describe something by showing where it comes in a series or sequence, you use an ordinal number, or an ordinal, such as first, second, fourteenth, or twenty-seventh.
She received a video camera for her fourteenth birthday.
I repeated my story for the third time that day.
The ordinal numbers are listed in the Reference Section and their use is explained in paragraphs 2.232 to 2.239.
fractions
2.210 When you want to show how large a part of something is compared to the whole of it, you use a fraction such as a third or three-quarters.
A third of the American forces were involved.
The bottle was about three-quarters full when he started.
Fractions are explained in paragraphs 2.240 to 2.249.
measuring things
2.211 When you want to talk about a size, distance, area, volume, weight, speed, or temperature, you can do so by using a number or quantity expression in front of a measurement noun such as feet and miles.