DETERMINERS

Determiners signal that a noun will follow. Unlike adjectives, which also signal that a noun will
follow, determiners cannot add the inflectional morphemes -er and -est. In addition, because
they are function words, determiners do not have other forms or synonyms. Their "meaning" is
their function: to signal that a noun will follow.
The following examples illustrate the difference:
Determiner + noun tea

Adjective + noun tea

Note that each adjective has a distinct meaning.

In addition, each adjective may add its comparative (-er) and superlative (-est) form.

Types of determiners

1. articles (the hat, a hat, an opera)

A - indefinite used before a singular and noun beginning with a consonant.
AN - indefinite and used before singular beginning with a vowel.
THE - definite used before singular and plural nouns.
2. possessive nouns / pronouns (Mary’s hat, her hat)
3. numbers (five hats, eight hats, twenty hats)
4. indefinite pronouns (each hat, some hats, both hats)
5. demonstrative pronouns (that hat, those hats)
6. QUANTIFIERS:
*Countable nouns:
1- Small quantity: some, a little.
2- Large quantity: a lot of, a great deal of, much.
3- Small number: some, a few.
4- Big number: many, a lot of.
* Uncountable nouns:
1- Liquids: water,oil...
2- Mass nouns
3- Feelings: courage, passion, love, hate.

Number(Countable) Quantity (Uncountable)

-a lot of
Large - a lot of
- a great deal of
or Big - many
- much
- a few - a little
Small
- some -some

1. Our garden looks awful this summer. There are too many weeds.

2. There aren’t many flowering plants in our garden.

3. How many pages did you read?

4. They say a little knowledge is a dangerous thing.

5. I am having a lot of trouble passing my driving exam.

6. Few people can afford a home these days.

7. You have little patience.

8. She earns less money than I do.

9. Some of the information proved to be outdated.

10. I didn’t use much fertilizer last spring.

What are determiners?

A determiner is used to modify a noun. It indicates reference to something specific or something of a

particular type. This function is usually performed by articles, demonstratives, possessive determiners, or
quantifiers.

Determiners vs pronouns

Determiners are followed by a noun.

 The man
 This book
 Some people
Subject pronouns ( I , you , he , etc.) and possessive pronouns (mine, yours, his, etc.) cannot be
determiners because they can never be followed by a noun.

Types of determiners

Articles

The definite and indefinite articles are all determiners.

 Definite article - the

 Indefinite article - a or an (a is used before a consonant sound; an is used before a vowel
sound.)

Examples:

Close the door, please.

I've got a friend in Canada.

Demonstratives

There are four demonstrative determiners in English and they are: this, that, these and those

Note that demonstrative determiners can also be used as demonstrative pronouns. When they are used as
determiners they are followed by the nouns they modify. Compare:

This is my camera. (Demonstrative used as a pronoun, subject of the verb is)

This camera is mine. (Demonstrative used as a determiner modifying the noun camera.)

Possessives

Possessive adjectives - my, your, his, her, its, our, your, their - modify the noun following it in order to
show possession.
Possessive determiners are different from possessive pronouns - mine, his, hers, yours, ours, their.
  Possessive pronouns can stand alone and are not followed by nouns.
 Possessive determiners, on the other hand, are followed by nouns.

Compare:

This is my house. (my is a possessive determiner. It is followed by the noun house which it modifies)
Is that car yours? (yours is a possessive pronoun. It is not followed by a noun.)

Quantifiers

Quantifiers are followed by nouns which they modify. Examples of quantifiers include:

some, any, few, little, more, much, many, each, every, both, all, enough, half, little, whole, less etc.

Quantifiers are commonly used before either countable or uncountable nouns.

He knows more people than his wife.

Little knowledge is a dangerous thing .

EXAMPLES:

 An apple is a healthy snack.

 My house is your house.
 This puppy ate that shoe and those socks.
 Which essay is for what class?
 Two thieves stole a dozen cars.
 Many children have read all of the books.

Practice Exercise
Use the following exercise to practice identifying adjectives and determiners. The students should mark the adjectives
and determiners in each sentence and then identify the grammatical function.

Sentences

1. The recipe calls for seedless raisins.

2. My elderly grandmother ran into your oldest sister.
3. That gray puppy is jealous of this new kitten.
4. No jury will find me guilty.
5. A farmer recently painted the red tractor green.
6. Some children always seem happy.
7. An apple tastes sweet.
8. That mean bully kicked which smaller child?
9. All six books are quite interesting.
10. None of the loud patrons have broken any of the new chairs.
Answers

1. The – determinative, seedless – noun phrase modifier

2. My – determinative, elderly – noun phrase modifier, your – determinative, oldest – noun phrase modifier
3. That – determinative, gray – noun phrase modifier, jealous – subject complement, this – determinative, new –
noun phrase modifier
4. No – determinative, guilty – object complement
5. A – determinative, the – determinative, red – noun phrase modifier, green – object complement
6. Some – determinative, happy – subject complement
7. An – determinative, sweet – subject complement
8. That – determinative, mean – noun phrase modifier, which – determinative, smaller – noun phrase modifier
9. All – determinative, six – determinative, interesting – subject complement
10. None of – determinative, the – determinative, loud – noun phrase modifier, any of – determinative, new – noun
phrase modifier