Determiners
‘Determiner’ is a word used before a norm to indicate which things or people
we are talking about. The words ‘a’, ‘the’, ‘my’, ‘this’, ‘some’, ‘many’, etc. are
called determiners:
He is a good boy.
The boy you met is my friend.
This novel is very interesting.
I have some information about the accident.
There were many people at the station.
Kinds of Determiners:
1. Pre-determiners:
Pre-determiners are the words which occur before a determiner to limit the
meaning of a noun:
2. Articles:
When we refer to particular people or things or something that has already been
mentioned or can be understood, we use the definite article ‘the’. When we refer
to singular nouns for the first time, or refer to things in a general way, we use
the indefinite article ‘a’ or ‘an’.
➤ The Definite Article ‘The’:
We can use the definite article before any common noun:
e.g. He threw the ball into the river.
The boys were not in the class.
We use the definite article to refer to specific persons or things:
e.g. I want to meet the principal in the school.
The tourists crossed the river in a boat.
The definite article is used to refer to the things that are only one in the
world:
e,g. The moon and stars were shining in the sky.
The sun sets in the west.
The earth revolves round the sun.
We use the definite article with the words such as school, university,
prison, when we are referring to a particular building:
e.g. They will visit the school on Monday.
I met him in the university.
The definite article may be used with the countable nouns that are used in
the singular to refer to things more general:
e.g. If you break the law, you will be punished.
He played the violin for half an hour.
The definite article is used to refer to the parts of the body:
e.g. Smoking is harmful for the lungs.
He caught him by the neck.
The definite article is used with time expressions:
e.g. I met her in the evening.
She came here in the morning.
We use the definite article before something that has already been
mentioned.
e.g. I met a man at the station.
The man belonged to Tamil Nadu.
The definite article is used before a noun that is followed by a relative
clause or a prepositional phrase:
e.g. The man I met at the station belonged to Haryana.
He put the sweater on the table.
The definite article is used to refer to familiar things we use regularly:
e.g. She looked at the ceiling.
Suddenly the lights went out.
The definite article is used before dates or periods of time:
e.g. We met on the 15th of October.
It is a popular music of the 1940s.
The definite article is generally used before a noun which is followed by
‘of’:
e.g. This led to the destruction of the whole village.
The burning of houses rendered people homeless.
The definite article is used before the names of seas, rivers, deserts,
mountains, the names of large public buildings:
e.g. The ship crossed the Pacific Ocean.
Delhi stands on the banks of the Yamuna.
The Sahara is a famous desert.
They came across the Himalayas.
They visited the Taj Mahal.
The definite article is used before the superlative adjectives:
e.g. He is the- best boy in the class.
She is the most beautiful girl in the school.
The definite article is used before adjectives such as rich, poor, deaf,
dumb, blind, to use them as nouns:
e.g. The rich and the poor went to the fair.
We should help the blind.
We use the definite article before the nationals of a country or continent:
e.g. The Indians are very religious.
➤ The Indefinite Articles-‘a’, ‘an’:
The indefinite articles (‘a’, ‘an’) are used when we talk about people in a
general or indefinite way.
The article ‘a’ is used before the words which begin with consonant sounds and
‘an’ is used before the words beginning with vowel sounds. However, some
words start with a vowel letter but begin with a consonant sound. So we use the
article ‘a’ before these words:
3. Demonstratives: This, These, That, Those
The demonstrative determiners are used to talk about persons or things that have
already been mentioned.
This and These refer to the things that are near and can be seen. ‘That’ and
‘Those’ are used to refer to the things that are at a distance but can be seen.
e.g. We lived in this house for four years.
She bought these books.
Those boys are very mischievous.
Can you lift that box?
4. Possessives: My, our, your, his, her, its, their.
The possessives are used to show possession.
e.g. He is my uncle.
Our neighbour is a rich man.
Your daughter is beautiful.
Their house is very big.
5. Ordinals: first, second, next, last, etc.
e.g. The ordinals show what position something has in a series:
He is the first boy who has joined this school.
I shall meet him the next week.
He is the last man to help you.
6. Cardinals: one, two, three, hundred, etc.
e.g. There were only ten boys in the class.
She lived for eighty years.
7. Quantifiers: much, some, several, a lot of, both, all, etc.
The quantifiers refer to the quantity of things or amount of something.
e.g. There were some people at the airport.
Plenty of people would like to have your job.
They didn’t make much progress.
There was little water in the jug.
8. Distributives: each, every, either, neither.
Distributive determiners refer to each single member of a group.
Each is used when we talk about the members of a group individually
Every when we make a general statement.
Both are followed by a singular countable noun
Either is used to talk about two things, but usually indicates that only one
of the two is involved.
Neither is the negative
e.g. He met each guest.
The minister visited every flood-affected area.
I agree with every word he says.
Each request will be considered.
Either of the two girls should come here.
Neither member came to attend the meeting.
9. Interrogatives: what, which, whose, etc.
The interrogative determiners are used for asking questions:
e.g. What subjects are you studying?
Which colour do you like the most?
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