a portion but not the entirety

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "a portion but not the entirety" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when you want to indicate that only a part of something is being referred to, rather than the whole thing. Example: "The report covers a portion but not the entirety of the project's findings."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Formal & Business

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

60 human-written examples

Charles Theodore, who had dreamed of rebuilding the Burgundian empire, realized that Joseph was not seriously planning to exchange Bavaria, or even a portion of it, for the entirety of the Austrian Netherlands.

Wikipedia

But that's not the entirety of the situation.

Los Angeles Times

Yet this is not the entirety of the story when it comes to civil rights.

The New Yorker

The area-based approach computes pixel-wise similarity measure within a portion of the images or the entirety of them to determine the registration quality.

Visualization in Engineering

In fact, the chemically-relevant data cloud constitutes a major portion of the entirety of the linked data available on the web [20].

Journal of Cheminformatics

"People focus on the online portion, not the offline portion.

TechCrunch

We noted that the activation did not cover the entirety of the hippocampus, but rather was situated in a circumscribed anterior region, in the medial rather than lateral portion bilaterally (Fig. 2, top row).

Cerebral Cortex

Qualitative fieldwork will not cover the entirety of Scotland.

BMJ Open

Conclusions of this study do not reflect the entirety of Dutch hospitals.

Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Control

However, macro-level factors do not reflect the entirety of people's experiences with their environment.

BMC Public Health

If you're not using the entirety of the pan, put the eggs in the center.

WikiHow

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "a portion but not the entirety", ensure the contrast between the part and the whole is clear to avoid ambiguity. Specify what the portion refers to and what constitutes the entirety.

Common error

Avoid using "a portion but not the entirety" without clearly defining what the 'portion' and 'entirety' refer to. This can lead to confusion if the reader doesn't understand the context.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "a portion but not the entirety" functions as a qualifier, indicating that only a part of something is being considered or is relevant, as opposed to the whole. Ludwig's response and examples suggest its correct usage in formal writing.

Expression frequency: Missing

Frequent in

Science

30%

News & Media

25%

Formal & Business

20%

Less common in

Wiki

10%

Academia

8%

Encyclopedias

7%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "a portion but not the entirety" is a grammatically sound expression used to specify that only a part of something is being referred to, as confirmed by Ludwig. While the phrase is deemed correct and understandable, its frequency of use is relatively low. The phrase is most commonly found in science, news, and formal contexts. When using this phrase, it's important to clearly define both the portion and the entirety to avoid ambiguity. Alternative phrases like "some but not all" or "partially but not completely" can be used depending on the desired level of formality.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

partially but not completely

Emphasizes the incomplete nature of the inclusion or coverage.

some but not all

Highlights the selective aspect of the inclusion.

a fraction but not the whole

Uses 'fraction' to indicate a smaller part of the total.

a segment but not the complete set

Replaces 'portion' with 'segment' and 'entirety' with 'complete set' for a more formal tone.

a piece but not the full picture

Uses 'piece' to represent a part and 'full picture' to represent the whole.

an element but not the entire thing

Uses 'element' to signify a component and 'entire thing' for the complete object.

aspects but not the whole

Focuses on particular 'aspects' rather than the entire subject.

excerpts but not the full text

Specifically refers to textual content, using 'excerpts' for a partial selection.

components but not the aggregate

Implies a collection of 'components' rather than a single 'aggregate' entity.

a selection but not everything

Highlights that a 'selection' has been made, excluding other items.

FAQs

How can I use "a portion but not the entirety" in a sentence?

You can use "a portion but not the entirety" to indicate that only part of something is being considered or included, rather than all of it. For example, "The study examined "a portion but not the entirety" of the data available."

What are some alternatives to "a portion but not the entirety"?

Alternatives include phrases like "some but not all", "partially but not completely", or "a fraction but not the whole", which all convey the idea of something being incomplete or only partially representative.

Is it more formal to say "a portion but not the entirety" or "some but not all"?

"A portion but not the entirety" generally carries a more formal tone than "some but not all". The choice depends on the context and audience.

What's the difference between "a portion" and "the entirety"?

"A portion" refers to a part of something, while "the entirety" refers to the whole or complete version. Using the phrase ""a portion but not the entirety"" emphasizes that only part of something is being discussed or used, excluding the rest.