Partitive Nouns and Collective Nouns

A partitive noun is a noun that is used to describe a part or quantity of something. Partitive nouns are used with another noun to tell you how much of that noun there is. "Boxes" in "three boxes of cereal" is a partitive noun because it describes a specific quantity of cereal. Below are more examples of partitive nouns.

• a glass of milk
• a spoonful of sugar
• some of the cake
• a lot of feathers
• a bottle of perfume
• a piece of paper

A collective noun is a noun that describes a group of something. Collective nouns do not necessarily tell you about the quantity of things in a group. Below are some examples of collective nouns.

• a pride of lions
• a flock of seagulls
• a crowd of people
• a team of players
• a troupe of dancers
• a forest of trees

Just remember: a partitive noun describes a part or quantity of something. A collective noun describes a group of things.

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