INDEX:
1. a part of an object/substance/area
2. part of a total amount or number
3. part of a story/book/film/play etc
4. part of an organization
5. one of the parts of a process
6. part of a situation/subject/someone’s character
7. to be a part of something
RELATED WORDS
see also
↑ PIECE
↑ PARTLY
↑ CONSIST OF
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1. a part of an object/substance/area
▷ part /pɑːʳt/ [countable noun]
▪ When you have filled in the form, keep the top part and send the other part to the bank.
▪ All our replacement parts are guaranteed, if you have your car serviced with us each year.
part of
▪ What part of Russia are you from?
▪ This is the widest part of the river.
▪ Malaria is still common in many parts of Africa.
▷ bit /bɪt/ [countable noun] especially British, spoken
a small part of an object or area :
▪ ‘Would you like a slice of cake?’ ‘I’ll just have a little bit, please.’
bit of
▪ the bit of the garden where the fruit trees are
▪ I found some bits of glass in my sandwich.
▷ piece /piːs/ [countable noun]
one of several different parts that must be joined together to make something :
▪ a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle
in pieces
as separate pieces
▪ The equipment had to be taken apart and transported in pieces.
▷ component /kəmˈpəʊnənt/ [countable noun]
one of the separate parts of a machine or a system, that is necessary to make the machine or system work :
▪ The factory makes aircraft engine components.
▪ All the components should be tested before they are assembled.
component of
▪ Gaining confidence is a major component of developing leadership skills.
▷ ingredient /ɪnˈgriːdiənt/ [countable noun]
one of the types of food that are used to make a dish or a meal :
▪ Weigh all the ingredients before you start.
▪ a list of ingredients
▪ The main ingredients can be prepared and frozen in advance.
ingredient for
▪ Coconut is a basic ingredient for many curries and other Asian dishes.
▷ constituent /kənˈstɪtʃuənt/ [countable noun] formal
one of the chemical substances that something is made of :
▪ Scientists have to break the compound down into its constituents in order to analyze it.
constituent of
▪ Magnesium and sodium are the main constituents of salt.
▷ portion /ˈpɔːʳʃ ə n/ [countable noun]
a part of something larger, especially a part that is different from the other parts - used especially in a technical context :
▪ Fuel is carried in the lower portion of the rocket.
portion of
▪ Surgeons have had to remove portions of his stomach and intestine.
▪ The research suggests we only use a small portion of our brains at any one time.
▷ section /ˈsekʃ ə n/ [countable noun]
a part of something that is clearly different and separate from the other parts :
section of
▪ The final section of this chapter will deal with recent developments.
▪ First class seats are in the front section of the plane.
▪ The disease spread through the poorer sections of the city.
▷ segment /ˈsegmənt/ [countable noun]
a part of something such as a fruit, insect etc that is naturally divided, or a part of something that has been divided into separate, roughly equal parts :
▪ Decorate the cake with orange segments.
▪ An ant’s body is divided into three distinct segments.
segment of
▪ Each sales team targets its efforts at a particular segment of the general population.
2. part of a total amount or number
▷ proportion /prəˈpɔːʳʃ ə n/ [countable noun]
a part of an amount or number - use this when you are comparing the part with the whole amount or number :
proportion of
▪ What proportion of your income do you spend on food?
high/large etc proportion
▪ The new jobs would largely be unskilled and a high proportion would be in inner city areas.
▪ A significant proportion of the elderly are dependent on the basic state pension.
small/tiny proportion
▪ We get a small proportion of our funding from the government.
▷ fraction /ˈfrækʃ ə n/ [countable noun]
a small part of an amount or number, especially a very small part :
fraction of
▪ Employees’ salaries are just a fraction of the total cost of the project.
▪ Faxes are expensive, when you consider you can send emails at a fraction of the cost for very much less money .
small/tiny fraction
▪ a problem that affects only a small fraction of the total population
▷ percentage /pəʳˈsentɪdʒ/ [countable noun]
a part of an amount or number that can be measured and shown exactly compared to the total :
percentage of
▪ What percentage of our students passed the exam?
▪ The percentage of pensioners living below the poverty line has increased by 15% in the last four years.
high/large percentage
▪ A high percentage of the coffee they produce goes to the US.
small percentage
▪ Only a small percentage of African American employees were considered for promotion.
3. part of a story/book/film/play etc
▷ part /pɑːʳt/ [countable noun]
▪ Jane Austen’s ‘Pride and Prejudice’, adapted for radio in six parts
part of
▪ I’ve finished the first part of my thesis.
part about
▪ Did you understand the part about switching the modem speed?
Part One/Part 2 etc
one of the main parts that a book, TV story etc is divided into
▪ Part One ends with the death of the hero’s father.
▷ bit /bɪt/ [countable noun] British spoken
a small part of a story or film :
▪ My favourite bit is when they try to escape.
bit of
▪ Some bits of the book are actually quite funny.
▷ episode /ˈepɪsəʊd, ˈepəsəʊd/ [countable noun]
a part of a story on radio or television that is told in separate parts, usually weekly :
▪ That was one of the best episodes - I wish I’d got it on tape.
▪ Brad Pitt made a guest appearance on last week’s episode.
▪ Ernie directed all 12 of the half-hour episodes for television.
episode of
▪ I’ve never even seen an episode of Star Trek.
▷ instalment British /installment American /ɪnˈstɔːlmənt/ [countable noun]
part of a story that is told in several parts printed regularly in a magazine or newspaper over a period of time :
▪ Oliver Stone was in Thailand shooting the final instalment in his Vietnam trilogy, Heaven And Earth.
weekly/monthly instalments
▪ Dickens wrote his novels in weekly instalments for a magazine.
instalment of
▪ We are proud to present the second instalment of our fantastic six-part competition to win a Renault Clio.
▷ chapter /ˈtʃæptəʳ/ [countable noun]
one of the parts that a book is divided into :
▪ These matters are dealt with in Chapters 8 & 9.
▪ ‘Have you finished ‘Lord of the Rings’ yet?’ ‘I’m on the last chapter.’
▷ scene /siːn/ [countable noun]
one of the smaller parts of a play or film in which the same characters appear or the events happen in the same place :
▪ The sex scenes between Depardieu and Brochet are sensitively filmed.
▪ The ghost appears in Act 2, Scene 1.
opening/closing scene
the first or the last scene
▪ The opening scene of the movie features the gangsters discussing their next heist.
▷ extract /ˈekstrækt/ [countable noun]
a part taken from something such as a book or a speech in order to show its most important points or to show what the whole of it is like :
▪ In the following extract, Jones presents the arguments in favour of nuclear power.
extract from
▪ The book contains previously unpublished material, including extracts from diaries, letters and taped interviews.
▷ excerpt /ˈeksɜːʳpt/ [countable noun]
a short part taken from a film, book, speech, piece of music etc :
excerpt from
▪ I’d like to read out a short excerpt from the poem.
▪ The following excerpt is from one of my students’ essays.
▪ He played some excerpts from Grieg’s piano concerto.
▷ clip /klɪp/ [countable noun]
a short part of a film or other recording that is taken and used in another film or in a television programme :
▪ The police have released a video clip of the attack.
▪ The new software makes it possible to cut and paste sound or video clips from one application to another.
clip from
▪ I saw a clip from the new Michael Douglas movie on TV last night.
4. part of an organization
▷ branch /brɑːntʃǁbræntʃ/ [countable noun]
a shop, office, or bank in a particular area that is part of a larger organization :
▪ Our store has branches all over the country.
▪ I’m sorry, we can’t change foreign currency. We’re only a small branch, you see.
branch of
▪ You can deposit money at any branch of the Northwest Pacific Bank.
▷ department /dɪˈpɑːʳtmənt/ [countable noun]
a department of a large organization, such as a company, school, or hospital, is a part of it that is responsible for a particular kind of work :
▪ Our department deals mainly with exports.
▪ Which department do you work in?
Sales/Accounts/Planning etc Department
in a company or large organization
▪ Melissa is in charge of the Marketing Department.
Art/History/Science etc Department
in a school or university
▪ She works in the Humanities department
the Department of Science/English/Trade etc
in a school or university, or other large organization, especially a government
▪ the Department of Trade and Industry
▪ the Department of Experimental Psychology
▷ division /dɪˈvɪʒ ə n, dəˈvɪʒ ə n/ [countable noun]
a large part of an organization, especially a company, which often includes several smaller parts :
▪ The sales and advertising departments are both part of the marketing division.
▪ I work in the administration division as a mail mover.
division of
▪ the Japanese division of American Express
▷ section /ˈsekʃ ə n/ [countable noun]
a part of an organization, especially a part of a company or a political group, that is responsible for a special area of its work :
▪ The party’s Young Conservatives section is growing fast.
▪ The tutor asked the brass section to play their piece again.
section of
▪ We had to go to the ‘late payments’ section of the Financial Aid office.
▷ sector /ˈsektəʳ/ [countable noun]
a part of an area of economic activity, such as industry or trade :
manufacturing/business/retail etc sector
▪ The growth in the number of home computers has boosted the electronics sector.
▪ The new sales tax caused problems for the retail sector the shops and stores that sell goods to the public .
public sector
organizations that the government owns
▪ The main source of work here is public sector employment.
private/independent sector
organizations that the government does not own
▪ Private sector pay increases were again above the rate of inflation.
▷ wing /wɪŋ/ [countable noun]
a part of a political party or a similar organization that has different ideas from the rest of the party, or is involved in different activities :
right/left wing
▪ The racist right wing staged their biggest demonstration yet in the main square.
political/military wing
▪ The Tamil Tigers have had a political wing since 1976, but never registered it as a legal party.
wing of
▪ They were members of the Marxist wing of the Socialist Party.
▷ the ... side /ðə ... saɪd/ [singular noun] informal
the financial/business/marketing etc side
a particular part of an organization’s activity :
▪ I’m in charge of production, and Martha takes care of the financial side.
5. one of the parts of a process
▷ part /pɑːʳt/ [countable noun]
▪ Organizing the party was easy, the hardest part was getting my parents to agree to it.
part of
▪ Which part of your job do you enjoy most?
▪ She spent the early part of her life in Barcelona.
▪ Part of the research program involved interviewing teenagers in inner-city areas.
▷ bit /bɪt/ [countable noun] British spoken
a part of an activity, plan, or job :
▪ Alan did the easy bit -- it was me who did all the hard work!
bit of
▪ I’ll probably do a bit of gardening this weekend.
▷ stage /steɪdʒ/ [countable noun]
one of several parts of a long process, which happen one after another :
▪ Dan has never gone through a rebellious stage.
stage of
▪ Many women feel depressed during the early stages of pregnancy.
stage in
▪ We saw a video showing the second stage in the development of a human embryo.
at this stage
now
▪ At this stage of the election campaign, it is impossible to say who will win.
reach/be at/get to the stage
to be at a particular part of a process
▪ We reached the stage where we’d given up any hopes of seeing our daughter alive.
▪ ‘How’s your dissertation coming on?’ ‘I’m at the writing-up stage.’
▷ step /step/ [countable noun]
one of the parts of a process that you have to do or deal with in order to go on to the next one :
▪ The next step will be to make the pasta sauce.
▪ The first step towards achieving peace in the region will be to elect a government that represents all the people.
one step at a time
used to say that you should deal with one part of a process thoroughly before worrying about the next one
▪ The doctors say I’ll make a full recovery, but I’m going to have to take it one step at a time.
▷ phase /feɪz/ [countable noun]
a separate part in the development or growth of something :
▪ I’d like to discuss the production phase at this morning’s meeting.
phase in
▪ There are three phases in the lifecycle of a butterfly.
initial/primary/first phase
the first part
▪ The initial phase of the project should take about three months.
final/last phase
the last part
▪ As the war enters its final phase, the UN will probably consider lifting sanctions.
6. part of a situation/subject/someone’s character
▷ aspect /ˈæspekt/ [countable noun]
one of the many parts of a situation or subject, which can each be considered separately :
▪ The inspectors will examine health and safety aspects at the plant.
aspect of
▪ Chris is dealing with the commercial aspects of this ambitious project.
▪ The country was on the brink of war, and fear and uncertainty permeated every aspect of daily life.
▷ side /saɪd/ [countable noun]
one part of a situation or someone’s character - use this especially when you are comparing one part with another :
▪ Weiskopf was a talented and successful man, but he did have a cruel side.
side of
▪ I’d like to move away from the theory now, to concentrate on the practical side of engineering.
the negative/positive/lighter/funny side
▪ You are enthusiastic, but on the negative side, you can be impatient and critical.
▪ Try to see the funny side of the situation.
▪ the lighter side of the conference, as seen by our political cartoonist
▷ dimension /daɪˈmenʃ ə n, də̇-/ [countable noun]
a part of a situation that makes you look at the situation in a particular way :
▪ The arrival of the South African team has brought a new dimension to the competition.
dimension of
▪ The political dimensions of the incident are clear.
▪ a revival of interest in the spiritual and moral dimensions of life
the human dimension
making you think of people’s feelings, rather than things
▪ The new art gallery is impressive, but I felt the human dimension had been lost.
▷ factor /ˈfæktəʳ/ [countable noun]
one of the parts or features of a situation, each of which has a different effect or importance :
▪ There are one or two factors we haven’t considered yet.
▪ The issue of abortion rights is obviously not the only factor affecting the female vote.
▪ Traders said several factors contributed to Nasdaq’s weakness.
factor in
▪ The most important factor in professional sport is psychology.
▪ His formal education was a less significant factor in his upbringing than practical experience.
▷ element /ˈelɪmənt, ˈeləmənt/ [countable noun]
one of the separate parts of something such as a person’s character, a system or process, or a piece of writing :
▪ The planning proposals have three main elements.
element of
▪ There’s always been an element of competition between me and my brother.
element in
▪ Instead of a single plot, there are several elements in the story.
▪ We’ve reached the stage where public image is the most important element in the Presidency.
key element
most important element
▪ I see helping the community as one of the key elements of my work.
▷ feature /ˈfiːtʃəʳ/ [countable noun]
a part of something that is different in some way from the rest of it :
▪ Are there any special features about the way Ireland trains its teachers?
feature of
▪ Federalism remains a very important feature of American politics.
▪ One of the features of auto-immune diseases is that they are often genetically similar.
7. to be a part of something
▷ be part of /biː ˈpɑːʳt ɒv/ [verb phrase]
▪ Falling over is part of the process of learning to ski.
▪ It is part of the doctor’s job to give advice on emotional problems.
▪ Restrictions on foreign trade are part of the state’s economic and legal system.
▷ form (a) part of /ˌfɔːʳm (ə) ˈpɑːʳt ɒv/ [verb phrase]
to be one of the things that together make up something larger or more important :
▪ Group discussion forms a major part of classwork.
▪ The company forms part of the United Holdings group.
▪ These three books form part of a series on religion in the modern world.
▷ inherent /ɪnˈhɪ ə rənt, -ˈher-/ [adjective]
an inherent fact, problem, quality etc is one that is a natural part of an activity or situation and cannot be separated from it :
▪ Money is unfortunately an inherent part of politics.
inherent in
▪ Surgical procedures have many risks inherent in them.
▪ the uncertainties that are inherent in the research and development process
inherently [adverb]
▪ Is mankind an inherently violent species?