‘
Apart’ and ‘a part’ are often confused as they sound the same when you say the words. Despite their similar sounds, the two have very different meanings.
When to use 'apart'
Apart’ is an adverb that means two or more people or things separated by a distance; or at a distance from each other in space or time.
For example:
- The towns are fifty miles apart.
- As they got older, the two friends grew apart.
- The puzzle has been taken apart.
It can also mean: to or on one side; at a distance from the main body.
For example:
- Tom stepped away from the group of boys and stood apart.
‘Apart’ is also a preposition: ‘apart from’, which means with the exception of:
For example:
- We didn’t see anyone all day, apart from a couple of kids playing on the street.
- Apart from the ending, it’s a really good movie.
When to use 'a part'
A part means a piece or segment of something such as an object, activity, or period of time, which combined with other pieces makes up the whole.
For example:
- She had a part in the school play.
- May I have a part of your cake?
This is where it gets a little tricky. ‘A’ does not always need to appear. In fact you can drop the ‘a’ when ‘part’ is not followed by an adjective.
For example:
- May I have part of your cake?
However, if there is an adjective before ‘part’, you always need to have the ‘a’.
For example:
- May I have a small part of your cake? - correct
- May I have small part of your cake? - wrong
Here’s a hint
Apart’ is often paired with the preposition ‘from’
- It’s so hard to be apart from you.
'A part’ is often paired with the preposition ‘of’
- I am a part of this family.
Another handy tip is to remove ‘a’ from the sentence to see if it still makes sense.
- I am part of this family. - correct
- It’s so hard to be part from you. - wrong
