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Understanding English Determiners

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12 views5 pages

Understanding English Determiners

Uploaded by

hema.shekhar20
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Determiners

 Articles - a, an, the


 Demonstratives - this, that, these, those, which etc.
 Possessive Determiners - my, your, our, their, his, hers, whose,
my friend's, our friends', etc.
 Quantifiers - few, a few, many, much, each, every, some, any etc.
 Numbers - one, two, three, twenty, forty
 Ordinals - first, second, 1st 2nd, 3rd, last, next, etc.

What is determiner
Determiners play an important role in English Grammar.
Determiners are words which come before a noun or pronoun
and shows whether a noun is specific or general. Determiners
also limit, determine and introduce a noun. In easy words, you
can say determiners are words that decide, limit or determine
something about the noun it follows.
Determiners perform the following tasks:-
1. It comes before a noun.
2. It introduces a noun.
3. It tells whether a noun is specific or general.
Determiners examples in English
Definite– The
Indefinite– A, An
Demonstrative– This, That, These, Those
Quantifiers– Some, any, much, many, few, little
Possessive– His, her, my, your, their
Numbers– One, thirteen, fifty
Distributive– All, either, every
Determiners are divided into four types and each
type has different uses. Let’s learn in detail.
Four types of determiners with
examples
There are four different types of determiners. These are:
Articles, demonstrative, quantifier and possessive.
Determiners

Let’s learn about each type of determiners with their examples


and uses.
Article:
It refers whether a noun is specific or general.
Article is divided into two parts. These two parts
are:-
1. Definite article
2. Indefinite article
Definite article– ‘The’ is a definite article. It is
used with a specific or particular person or
object.
E.g.- The Sun, The Ganga, The United States of America, The
Times of India
Indefinite article- ‘A’ and ‘An’ are two
Indefinite articles. They are used with common
person or object.
E.g.- A man, An aeroplane, A university etc.
Article ‘a‘ is used when noun starts with consonant sound and
having singular number.
E.g.- A basket, A door, A mother etc.
Article ‘an’ is used when noun starts with vowel sound and
having singular number.
E.g.– An honest man, An ink-pot, An ambassador etc.
Determiners

Determiners ( Articles) examples


in sentences:-
1- The Yamuna is a holy river.
2- I like to travel in the Rajdhani Express.
3- They play a musical instrument.
4- He loves to eat an ice-cream.
Demonstrative:
This, That, These, Those are demonstrative
determiners. These all four demonstrative
determiners point out towards an object.
This– It is used for pointing toward an object
which is near to us and having singular noun.
E.g.- 1- This is my villa.
2- This is her pen.
That– It is used for pointing towards an object
which is far away from us and having singular
noun.
E.g.-1- That is his bungalow.
2-That is my scooty.
These– These, a demonstrative determiner, is
used to point towards objects which are near to
us but having in plural form or noun.
E.g.-1- These are my copies.
2-These are my articles.
Those– Those, a demonstrative determiner, is
used to point towards the objects which are far
away from us and having plural form.
E.g.- 1- Those are his candies.
2- Those are your sketches.
Determiners (Demonstrative)
examples in sentences:-
1- This is an answer.
2- Those are his papers.
3- These are my colors.
4- That was my locality.
Quantifiers:
Determiners

A quantifier is a determiner that goes before a


noun and shows quantity of a noun. Some, any,
many, much,few, a few, the few, little, a little,
the little are quantifiers.
Some– It shows numbers and quantities and
used in affirmative sense before plural nouns or
uncountable nouns.
E.g.- 1- The basket has some fruit in it.
2- I have some questions to ask.
Any- It is used in negative sentences with
countable nouns.
E.g.- 1– She does not have any book.
2- He has no any pen.
Many- It is used to show numbers and used in
plural sense and with countable noun.
E.g.- 1-Rahul has many friends in his school.
2- I have many books to read.
Much– It is used to show quantity or amount and
used with uncountable noun.
E.g.- 1- That old woman had much money.
2- Shakespeare had much knowledge of English Literature.

Read this- Noun and its types


Few, A few and The few are used with countable nouns
but they have different uses.

Few– It is used to show hardly any or almost


nothing.
E.g.– 1- Few men can cheat their friend.
2- Few children do not like to watch T.V.
A few- It refers to ‘some’ and has positive
meaning.
E.g.– 1- A few actors are real heroes.
2- There are a few sincere students in the class.
The few– It shows not many, but all those are.
E.g.– 1- The few tomatoes left in the basket are rotten.
2- The few lady teachers have already left home.
Determiners

Little, A little and The little are used with uncountable


nouns but they have different uses.

Little- It shows almost nothing. It has a negative


meaning.
E.g.– 1- There is little rice in the bowl.
2- Here is little water in the jug.
A Little– It refers to ‘some’ and has positive
meaning.
E.g.- 1- There is a little water left in the pitcher.
2- There is a little salt in the vegetable soup.
The Little– It refers to the meaning of not much
but all that there is.
E.g.-1- The little water left in the pot was drunk by birds.
2- The little grain left in the jar was eaten by sparrows.
Determiners ( Quantifiers)
examples in sentences.
1- Have you any doubt now?
2- She has a little knowledge about French.
3- I will give him many manuscripts.
4- Few women speaks rudely.
Possessive determiners:
It shows possession or ownership. My, your, his,
her, their, our are possessive determiners.
E.g.- 1- I read my book.
2- They keep their secret.
3- We should obey our elders.
4- He does his work perfectly.

Common questions

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Determinants improve precision and clarity in English by explicitly stating aspects like quantity, possession, specificity, and order. They prevent ambiguity by making it clear what noun a speaker is referring to, such as 'the book', indicating a known specific book, versus 'a book', which is unspecific . By governing the context, they add nuance to language, as seen in demonstratives determining proximity ('this' versus 'that') and quantifiers offering clarity on numbers .

'Little' denotes an almost negligible quantity, with a negative implication, as in "There is little rice in the bowl" . 'A little' conveys a small but significant positive quantity, as used in "There is a little water left in the pitcher." 'The little' suggests not much but all there is, as illustrated by "The little water left in the pot was drunk by birds" . These differences affect how much is perceived or available based on the usage.

Quantifiers relate to countable and uncountable nouns by indicating quantity. 'Some' is versatile for affirmative uses with both types, as in "The basket has some fruit" . 'Many' specifically refers to countable nouns, like "Rahul has many friends," while 'much' applies to uncountable nouns, such as "That old woman had much money" . These examples illustrate how quantifiers adjust to the nature of the noun they modify.

Ordinal numbers, like 'first', 'second', or 'last', serve as determiners by indicating order and sequence. They do not quantify but instead bring a hierarchy or sequence to a series of items, such as "He was the first winner" or "She took the last cookie." This ordering clarifies relationships and priorities within the narrative, providing structural meaning to which noun or entity follows .

'Few' is used to show an almost negligible number, often with a negative connotation, like "Few men can cheat their friend" . 'A few' denotes some, carrying a positive meaning, such as in "A few actors are real heroes." 'The few' refers to all available ones, as in "The few tomatoes left in the basket are rotten" . Each has distinct implications on the quantity noted.

Demonstrative determiners like 'this' and 'these' are used for objects near the speaker, with 'this' for singular nouns and 'these' for plural, as in "This is my villa" and "These are my copies" . 'That' and 'those' refer to objects farther away, with 'that' for singular and 'those' for plural, illustrated by "That is his bungalow" and "Those are his candies" . The choice is dependent on both proximity and number.

Determiners play a crucial role in English grammar by coming before a noun or pronoun to indicate whether the noun is specific or general. They limit, determine, or introduce a noun and perform tasks such as introducing and specifying the noun. This helps in identifying whether a noun is general or specific, thus aiding in precise communication .

Possessive determiners, such as 'my', 'your', 'his', 'her', 'their', 'our', indicate possession or ownership. They clearly establish relationships and attributes related to ownership, as seen in "I read my book" or "We should obey our elders" . This precise indication of possession enhances clarity and prevents ambiguity in communication.

'Some' is used in affirmative sentences and can address both countable and uncountable nouns like "I have some questions" . 'Any' is typically used in negative contexts or questions, as in "She does not have any book" or "Do you have any doubts?" This differentiation impacts meaning and tone, with 'some' implying availability or possession while 'any' often challenges existence or quantity .

The use of definite and indefinite articles significantly affects the specificity of nouns. The definite article 'the' indicates a specific noun, known to both the speaker and the listener, such as in 'The Sun' or 'The Times of India' . In contrast, indefinite articles 'a' and 'an' refer to general nouns not specifically known, used for unknown or non-specific instances, as in 'A man' or 'An ambassador' .

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