Have you ever stopped mid-sentence while writing, and realised you don’t know the difference between ‘a part’ and ‘apart’, ‘everyday’ and ‘every day‘ or ‘farther’ and ‘further’? Hitting every grammar note correctly is essential in communicating effectively. Not only that, a written material with polished grammar speaks professionalism and garners trust. In this blog post, find out how to use ‘a part’ and ‘apart’ correctly.
Let’s get into the case of ‘a part‘ and ‘apart‘ correctly with the below examples.
Example 1. Toasted cumin seeds is a part of the secret recipe.
Example 2. The siblings were torn apart since the divorce.
Example 3. Apart from the books, they were left with drawers of gold.
Example 4. Every kid wanted a candy, apart from Rita.
Example 1. Toasted cumin seeds is a part of the secret recipe.
In the example above, ‘a part’ takes the meaning of being ‘one part’. ‘A part’ means a single part to a bigger whole. It is usually included in sentences that explore the smaller elements within a complete object/item/product.
‘Toasted cumin seeds is part of the secret recipe’ means that a single part of the recipe is toasted cumin seeds. Without this single part of the recipe, the finished product would not be complete.
In Bahasa Melayu, the sentence above means that “Jintan yang disangai ialah sebahagian dari resipi tersebut.” The Bahasa Melayu translation of ‘a part’ is ‘sebahagian‘ or ‘satu bahagian‘, as shown in the translation.
Example 2. The siblings were torn apart since the divorce.
In the example above, ‘apart’ takes the meaning of separate. ‘Apart’ carries a few meanings and in this sentence it means separation. As an insight to my readers, the word ‘apart’ in Example 2 is an adverb that originated from the word ‘part’. ‘Part’ is a verb that carries the meaning ‘move away from’.
‘The siblings were torn apart since the divorce’ means that the siblings were separated as the effect of a divorce. ‘Apart’ in this sentence carries the meaning of ‘no longer together’.
In Bahasa Melayu, the above sentence means that, “Adik-beradik tersebut dipisahkan sejak perceraian itu.” The Bahasa Melayu translation of ‘apart’ is ‘dipisahkan‘ as shown in the translation. ‘Apart’ may also carry the meaning of ‘dijauhkan’ in Bahasa Melayu.
Example 3. Apart from the books, they were left with drawers of gold.
In the example above, the phrase ‘apart from’ takes the meaning of ‘in addition to’. The use of the phrase ‘apart from’ in the example, merges two sentences:
- They were left with books.
- They were left with drawers of gold.
In Bahasa Melayu, the above sentence means, “Selain buku-buku, mereka juga diberi emas yang banyak.” The Bahasa Melayu translation of ‘apart from’ is ‘selain‘ as shown in the translation.
Example 4. Every kid wanted a candy, apart from Rita.
In the example above, the phrase ‘apart from’ takes the meaning of ‘except for’. The phrase ‘apart from’ is used in this example is used to show contrast. As in Example 3, Example 4 also uses ‘apart from’ to merge two sentences:
- Every kid wanted a candy.
- Rita did not want a candy.
In Bahasa Melayu, the above sentence means, “Semua kanak-kanak meminta gula-gula, kecuali Rita.” The Bahasa Melayu translation of ‘apart from’ is ‘kecuali‘ as shown in the translation.
The four examples above show how differently the words ‘a part’ and ‘apart’ can be used. Just imagine if it had not been used correctly, using ‘apart’ instead of ‘a part’, wouldn’t that have altered the meaning of your intention?
That’s why us at The Grammar Helpline are here to help! You may text us any of your grammar questions, or sentence to be proofread or even to seek for our suggestion and consultation to improve your English Language proficiency.
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As a conclusion to this lesson, it is important to know tell ‘a part’ from ‘apart’ and to differentiate them correctly. Especially because ‘apart’ can carry three possible meanings!
- ‘A part’ – Sebahagian
- Apart – Berjauhan
- Apart from – Selain
- Apart from – Kecuali
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