Grammar Guru: Apart vs. A Part
Have you ever sat there and pondered a pesky grammar question before sending that email to your boss or captioning your Instagram photo? In this new weekly video series, we tackle one common grammar/spelling/phrasing mistake you might be making regularly. Image: Getty Images
Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve loved grammar. It’s admittedly my passion. I completely nerd out on mastering strange rules, and it pains me to see certain avoidable grammar missteps time and time again online, in the media, in texts and in spoken conversation — no matter how casual the scenario!
Here at StyleBlueprint, we believe there is no better time than now to clean up our grammar game, and I’m here to help. In this new weekly video series, I’ll tackle a different grammar rule/phrase/spelling that is commonly missed, misused or ignored. Today, let’s kick things off with apart or a part.
I see this mistake all the time. If you make it, you are NOT alone! But a part and apart mean completely different — even opposite — things. Click play on this video for my interactive explanation or read on for a textual version of this rule in detail!
Here’s the bottom line:
“Apart” is used as an adjective or adverb to express the idea of being separated or set at a distance.
“A part” is a noun phrase that describes an individual piece or segment that belongs to something larger.
The mistake I see the most
People often combine a + part to be one word when you really mean it to be two. It’s an avoidable mistake that can make us look silly online, in work emails, via text … even on social media. To the ear, they sound the same, so our human tendency is to write it out as one word. But ask yourself if it should be two.
“I am so happy to be apart of this team”
“I loved being apart of this project”.
Both of the above examples are incorrect.
“You are happy to be a part of that team.”
“You loved being a part of that project.”
Those are correct. A *space* part.
So, when do you use apart?
On the flip side, apart — one word — implies separation. It can describe something you’re doing: “We are pulling the pieces of the puzzle apart.” Or it can describe a noun: “He’s a world apart.” Here are more correct usages of apart.
“We’ve been apart for months.”
“Nothing will tear us apart.”
“The cities are 100 miles apart.”
Still don’t know which to use? Here are some tricks:
1. Ask yourself if you can add the word “big” between the “a” and the “part”
Correct:
“I am so happy to be a BIG part of this team.”
“I loved being a BIG part of this project.”
These make sense! Because the words are separate.
Incorrect:
“We are worlds a big part.”
“Let’s pull this rotisserie chicken a big part.”
“Nothing will keep us a big part.”
Those are silly! Apart must stay as one word in those examples.
2. See if you can take out the “a”
Correct:
“She ate (a) part of my sandwich.”
“May I have (a) part of your steak?”
“Our neighbor has always felt (a) part of our family.”
These work! Therefore, the correct use is “a part”, or you could even take out the “a” all together.
“My parents had my sister and me two years (a) part.”
“The houses are far (a) part.”
Take away
It’s easy to quickly type one thing when you mean the other. And I know everyone is smarter than this small and forgivable mistake. But know that these are two different parts of speech, and should be each giving the respect they deserve.
Apart can be an adjective or an adverb. It refers to separation.
A part is a noun phrase that refers to one piece of a greater whole.
I can’t wait to see you next week for another episode! NEXT UP: fewer vs. less
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Zoe Yarborough
Zoe is a StyleBlueprint staff writer, Charlotte native, Washington & Lee graduate, and Nashville transplant of eleven years. She teaches Pilates, helps manage recording artists, and likes to "research" Germantown's food scene.