Uncountable Nouns made Countable (Partitive) – List

Partitives let us talk about “pieces” or “amounts” of uncountable nouns – turning cheese into a slice of cheese, bread into a loaf of bread, or paint into a drop of paint. They can be singular or plural (slices of bread, drops of paint) and sometimes extend to idiomatic “releases of emotion” (a fit of jealousy, an outburst of anger). Use the table below to match an uncountable noun with a natural partitive for clear, idiomatic English.

Uncountable Noun	Partitives
activity	an outburst of
advice	a bit/morsel of
air	a blast/breath/current/gust of
anger	a fit/an outburst of
applause	a burst/ripple of
bacon	a piece/rasher/slice of
banknotes	a bundle/wad of
beef	a morsel of
beer	a barrel/bottle/can/crate/glass/keg/tankard/pint of
biscuit	a box/crumb/packet/tin of
blood	a drop/pool/trickle of; spots/traces of
box	a pile/stack of
brandy	a bottle/dash/drop/flask/glass/hip flask/measure/nip/shot/tot of
bread	a chunk/crumb/crust/hunk/loaf/piece/slice of
butter	a knob/lump/pat/slab of
cake	a bit/crumb/piece/slice/sliver/wedge of
cardboard	a piece/sheet of
cement	a block of
cheese	a chunk/hunk/morsel/slice/wedge of
chess	a game of
china	a chip/set of
chocolate	a bar/box/slab/square of
cigarette	a carton/pack/packet of
clay	a lump of
cloth	a bale/bolt/length/piece/scrap/shred/strip/yard of
coal	a load/lump/piece of
cocoa	a mug of
coconut	a bunch of
coffee	a cup/jar/mug/pot/pound of
concrete	a layer/slab of
consolation	a morsel of
contamination	a level of
conversation	a snatch of
cotton	a bale/bolt/bundle/reel/strand of
cream (whipped)	a dollop of
crisp	a bag/packet of
cutlery	a set of
cynicism	a hint/note/touch/trace of
danger	an element of
data	an item/mass/piece/set of
debris	a heap/piece/pile of
denture	a set of
delay	a series of
delight	a cry/gasp/shriek/squeal/whoop of
depression	a bout/fit/period of
derision	a hoot of
desperation	a hint/note of
dialogue	a snatch of
dirt	a layer/speck/streak of
disapproval	a shout of
dizziness	a rush of
doubt	a hint of
dust	a cloud/film/puff/speck of
earth	a clod/clump/lump/pile of
envy	a stab/twinge of
evidence	a scrap/shred of
exasperation	a hint of
excitement	a ripple of
flame	a sheet of
flower	a bouquet/bunch/vase of
flu	a bout/dose of
food	a portion/plate/morsel/scrap/scraps of
fruit	a basket of
genius	a flash/stroke of
glass	a pane/piece/sheet/fragment/sliver/splinter of
glue	a blob/pot/tube of
gold	an ounce of
gossip	a bit/morsel/piece/titbit of
grass	a blade/clump/tuft of
grease	a film/spot of
guilt	a twinge of
gum	a wad of
hair	a lock/hank/head/strand/wisp of
hay	a bundle of
history	a piece/slice of
homework	a piece of
hope	a glimmer/shred of
ice	a block/slab/thick sheet of
ice cream	a dollop of
independence	a degree/measure of
information	a bit/fragment/item/mine/nugget/piece/scrap/snippet/wealth of
ingenuity	an amount/degree of
ink	a pot of
insanity	a streak of
inspiration	a flash of
iron	a scrap of
jam	a dollop/jar/pot of
jealousy	a fit/pang/rush/stab/twinge of
knowledge	a branch of
land	a parcel/plot/strip; tracts of
laughter	a fit/gale/howl/outburst/peal/ripple/roar/shriek/snort of
lemon	a slice/wedge of
light	a beam/gleam/glimmer/flash/ray/shaft/streak of
lightning	a bolt/flash/streak of
liquid	a drop/pool/squirt of
luck	a stroke of
marble	a block/slab of
margarine	a tub of
match	a book/box of
mathematics	a branch of
meat	a chunk/hunk/piece/slab/slice of
medicine (e.g. penicillin)	a branch/dose/spoonful of
metal	a scrap/sheet/strip/wedge of
milk	a bottle/carton/cup/glass/jug/litre/pint of
mint	a sprinkling of
money	an amount/a sum of
moonlight	a shaft of
mud	a lump of
music	a piece/snatch of
mustard	a spoonful of
news (bad)	a dose of
news (good news)	an item/a bit/piece of; a morsel of
newspaper	a copy/edition/sheet of
nonsense	a load/lot of
oil	a barrel/drop/film/pool/squirt/streak of
orange	a segment of
pain	a howl of
paint	a blob/coat/drop/flake/speck/splash of
paper	a bundle/piece/roll/scrap/sheet/slip/strip of
perfume	a bottle/puff of
petrol	a gallon/litre/tankful of
poetry	an anthology/a book/collection/line/volume of
rage	a bellow of
rain	a drop/trickle of
research	a piece of
rice	a bag/bowl/grain/packet/sack of
rock	a chunk/lump/piece/slab of
rope	a length of
rubbish	a bag/load/pile of; tons of
rum	a tot of
sadness	a twinge of
saliva	a dribble of
salt	a grain/pinch of
sand	a grain of
sauce	a dash/drop of
seal	a colony of
scorn	a shout of
similarity	a degree of
skepticism/scepticism	a pinch of
skill	a degree/level/range/set of
sleep	a snatch of
smoke	a cloud/puff/wisp of
snow	a flake of; flakes of
soap	a bar/cake of
soda	a dash of
soup	a bowl/cup/mug/packet/tin of
spaghetti	a strand of
speed	a burst of
stamp	a book/set/sheet of
steam	a cloud/jet of
steel	a strip of
stone	a slab of
stubbornness	a streak of
sugar	a cube/lump/pinch/spoonful/bag/packet of
sunlight	a shaft of
tea	a cup/flask/mug/pot of
thread	a hank/length/piece/skein/strand of
thunder	a clap/crash/peal/roll/rumble of
timber	a baulk/length/piece of
tissue	a wad of
toast	a morsel/piece/round/slice of
traffic	a roar/stream of
truth	an element/a grain of
tyre/tire	a set of
understanding	a level of
underwear	a change/set of
unease	a ripple of
violence	a level of
water	a drop/glass/jet/jug of
wheat	a bag/ear/field/grain/sack/sheaf of
whisky	a bottle/dash/drop/flask/glass/hip flask/measure/nip/shot/tot/tumbler of
wind	a blast/breath/gust of
wine	a bottle/drop/glass of
wire	a length/piece/strand of
wood	a baulk/block/piece/plank/splinter/strip/wedge of
wool	a ball/bundle/skein of
work	a bit/collection/exhibition/piece of
writing	an anthology/a collection/piece of
yarn	a hank/length/piece/skein of
yogurt	a carton/pot of