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Piece- and group-words: a blade of grass; a bunch of flowers

Uncountable nouns: pieces​

To talk about a limited quantity of something we can use a word for a piece or unit, together with of, before an uncountable noun. The most general words of this kind are piece and bit. Bit (informal) suggests a small quantity.

  • a piece/bit of cake/bread
  • some pieces/bits of paper/wood
  • a piece/bit of news/information

Other words are less general, and are used before particular nouns. Some common examples:

  • a bar of chocolate/soap
  • a blade of grass
  • a drop of water/oil/vinegar
  • a grain of sand/salt/rice/corn/dust/truth
  • an item of information/news/clothing/furniture
  • a length of material
  • a loaf of bread
  • a lump of sugar/coal
  • a sheet of paper/metal/plastic
  • a slice of bread/cake/meat
  • a speck of dust
  • a stick of dynamite/chalk/celery
  • a strip of cloth/tape/land

not a … of …​

Some words for small pieces can be used in a negative structure meaning ‘no … at all’.

  • There’s not a grain of truth in what he says.
  • There hasn’t been a breath of air all day.
  • We haven’t got a scrap/bite (of food) to eat.
  • He came downstairs without a stitch of clothing on.

Pair​

Pair is used for many things that normally go in twos, and with plural nouns that refer to some two-part objects (see here).

  • a pair of shoes/boots/socks/earrings
  • a pair of glasses/binoculars
  • a pair of trousers / jeans / shorts / pyjamas / leggings / tights (BrE) / pantyhose (AmE)
  • a pair of scissors/pliers/tweezers

Plural nouns: collections​

Special words are used before certain plural nouns to talk about groups or collections.

  • a bunch of flowers
  • a crowd of people
  • a flock of sheep/birds
  • a herd of cattle/goats
  • a pack of cards (AmE a deck of cards)

Set is used before many uncountable and plural nouns referring to groups which contain a fixed number of things.

  • a set of napkins / dishes / cutlery (AmE flatware / silverware) / spanners (AmE wrenches)
note

For a bit as a modifier before adjectives and adverbs, (see here).

For an amount, a lot, a large number, etc, (see here).

For sort, type, kind, etc, (see here).