"a part" or just "part"?

Question

I don't know if I need to put "a"  in front of part...  I see alot of cases where part doesn't require the use of "a".What are some instances when I should and shouldn't?

Raluca · Accepted Answer

I tried to keep apart from the family . - away from one another in space or time

I wanted no part of the proposal. - noun,can be synonym with share.

Yankee · Answer

Hi Anon

Here are some of my thoughts:

Generally speaking, if you use only "part", you are referring to "some" of something. If you use "a part", you are referring to "a piece of something". There are many situations in which you can say either "part" or "a part", but I suppose "a part" seems to refer to an easily definable piece of something, and "part" seems more general. So, sometimes it just depends on how you are looking at something.

For example, in this sentence, the word "a" is optional:
- Amtrack is not (a) part of the national transportation system.

If the word "part" is the subject or object in a sentence, and is preceded by an adjective, an article is needed:
- Robert's stubbornness is a big part of the problem. / A big part of the problem is Robert's stubbornness.

In certain expressions, an article is necessary. If you use the expression "play a part", for example, the word "a" is not optional.

Look at the dictionary entries and the usage examples here:
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/results.asp?dict=B&searchword=part

Anonymous · Answer

That cleared up my confusion completely. Thank you!

"a part" or just "part"?

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