B
NOTE
Gang has a
negative meaning: it suggests a group of young people who may cause trouble.
Partitives: a bag of     a bit of ...
There are many different words used to describe a particular quantity of something.
A   Containers (e.g. a bag) and contents (e.g. of shopping)
IH
a bag of shopping
ntei
s
a bowl of sugar
a bottle of wine
a glass of water       a can of co|a
a box of chocolates
4$
E
a jar of marmalade a carton of orange juice
a jug of milk
a packet of cigarettes
a vase of flowers a cup of coffee
3>
a tin of fruit a tube of toothpaste
With uncountable nouns
Certain words make uncountable nouns countable in order to describe a specific quantity,
e.g. Has anyone got a sheet of paper I can have? Other examples are:
a piece of toast a piece of cake a piece of wood
a slice of ham a slice of bread (= a thin piece) a drop of milk (= a little)
We use piece with the nouns above and some abstract nouns, e.g. a piece of advice, but the most common phrase in spoken English is a bit: we use it with a wide range of nouns, a bit of advice     a bit of bread     a bit of luck     a bit of time     a bit of news
A pair of ...
Some nouns have two parts, e.g. trousers (two legs) and shoes (left and right). You can use pair of to specify the number, e.g. a pair of skis, two pairs of shoes, three pairs of shorts.
D   Groups of things
a bunch of
flowers
a gang of youths/ kids/teenagers
a group of people
a bunch of grapes
Exercises
32.1    Complete the phrases below the pictures.
32.2
32.3
32.4
1 a.............................of milk
2 a.............................of tea
3 a.............................of fruit
4 a.............................of matches
5 a.............................of water
6 a.............................of orange juice
7 a.............................of paint
8 a.............................of coffee
Contents come in different containers. Are these normal or unusual? If they are unusual, change them and make them normal.
Example a glass of soup   iWjSual: If's usually a icwl or cup of Soup.
1 a vase of coffee 5 a bowl of milk
2 a jug of wine 6 a tube of cigarettes
3 a jar of mustard 7 a bag of salt
4 a carton of toothpaste 8 a tin of tomatoes
Complete these sentences with a suitable noun.
1 I gave her a big ...MsMk......................of flowers from my garden.
2 The police are looking for a.....................................of youths who may be responsible for
the damage.
3 I cut about six.....................................of ham and put them on a plate.
4 They own a large.....................................of land on the coast.
5 I did a.....................................of homework last night, then went out.
6 The teacher told us to take a blank.....................................of paper, then write our names at
the top.
7 A small.....................................of people gathered outside the embassy.
8 I need at least two.....................................of socks inside these shoes.
9 I asked him for a.....................................of advice.
10 I like to put a.....................................of cream in my coffee.
11 Have you seen that old.....................................of boots I use for gardening?
12 I've got a.....................................of time, so I can help you now if you like.
Underline any words in (brackets) which are wrong in these sentences.
1 I asked her for a (bit/piece) of advice.
2 I asked for a (piece/sheet) of cake.
3 There was a (group/gang) of journalists outside her house.
4 My lunch consisted of two (slices/pieces) of bread and a small (bunch/group) of grapes.
5 She hit me over the head with a small (piece/bit) of wood.
6 I'm in a hurry, but I've still got a (bit/piece) of time.
7 We had a (piece/bit) of luck this morning: we won some money!
8 Could I have a (piece/bit/drop) of milk in my coffee?
66   English Vocabulary in Use (pre-intermediate & intermediate)
English Vocabulary in Use (pre-intermediate & intermediate) 67