Part of this

Question

We should be part of this plan.  OrWe should be a part of this plan.

Ivanhr · Accepted Answer

Both are correct. A is often omitted before 'part' possibly because of the word apart (??I'm not sure really) and the confusion that might arise from this.

Andriy Lapin · Answer

Pleasehelp,

after analysing different examples with a part/part, one could reach several conclusions:

- using the article before 'part' gives more emphasis and renders the statement more precise, as in We've only finished a part of this project (=we've completed something we can clearly point at and assess). Cf We've only finished part of this project (=some undefined amount of it);

- in your case, I see We should be part of this plan as implying that 'we' should be a noticeable part, while 'a part' lacks this implication. However, please note that there is no universal view on this, and different speakers think about it in rather different ways.

- finally, 'a' is usually omitted before 'part' when it is not modified by an adjective:

Part of the books was missing.

vs

A large part of the books was missing.

Respectfully, Gleb Chebrikoff

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