In English grammar, determiners are a class of words whose function is to specify, quantify, and identify the noun or noun phrase that follows it. Also known as prenominal modifiers, determiners provide more information about what comes after them. Look at the following examples of determiners:
- He loves living in the countryside.
- I’m going to sell this old sofa.
- The dining table has six red chairs.
- My father is an artist.
- Some people choose not to eat breakfast.
From the above examples, it is clear that the primary function of determiners is to “mark” nouns. This means that a determiner is invariably followed by a noun. Some types of determiners are limited in nature (articles a, an, and the; possessive determiners his, her, my, your, our, their, and its; difference words other and another) and are unlikely to expand. Their limited nature is what sets determiners apart from adjectives, even though both serve the purpose of modifying nouns. While adjectives seem to be constantly increasing in number, the same cannot be said for determiners.
Rules for Using Determiners
1. A noun phrase can have more than one determiner.
- Sally and Jane were my two best friends at school.
- All my books got wet when I left them in the garden overnight.
2. Two referring determiners or two quantifying determiners cannot be used together.
- Correct – I sold the car last year.
- Correct – I sold my car last year.
- Incorrect – I sold the my car last year.
- Correct – Do you have some sugar?
- Correct – Do you have any sugar?
- Incorrect – Do you have some any sugar?
3. A quantifying determiner can, however, be used with of along with a referring determiner.
- Most of the people present were cheering loudly.
- Some of her friends are wonderful people.
Let’s take a detailed look at the different types of determiners.
Types of Determiners
- Definite article – the
- Indefinite articles – a/an
- Demonstratives – this, that, these, those
- Quantifiers – many, much, more, most, some, any, little, few, fewer
- Possessives – my, your, his, her, its, our, their, x’s (possessive ’s)
- Numbers – one, two, three, etc.
- Distributives – either, neither, each, every, half, both, all
- Pre-determiners – such, what, quite, rather
- Difference words – other, another
1. The Definite Article
“The” is the only definite article in the English language. Nouns are preceded by the when the speaker believes that the listener already knows what they are referring to. The definite article is used when:
I – Referring to something that has already been mentioned
- This morning, two masked men robbed a bank at gunpoint. The thieves haven’t been caught yet.
II – The writer assumes that there is only one of something, even if it hasn’t been mentioned before, and the reader is aware of this.
- I saw you swimming in the lake yesterday.
III – A specific person or object is being defined or identified
- This is the fox that raided the henhouse.
IV – A unique object or person is being referred to
- The sun rises in the east.
- The Queen is on a State visit to Hong Kong.
V – It precedes ordinal numbers and superlatives.
- I finished the longest chapter of the book last night.
- This is the third time he has called me today.
VI – Referring to a whole group of people
- The French really enjoy their food.
VII – Used with periods of time
- I went to school in the nineties.
VIII – Used with clauses that are preceded by only
- You are the only person he respects.
2. Indefinite Articles
The English language has two indefinite articles, a and an. The decision to use one or the other depends on the first letter of the word that follows it. An is used if the next word starts with a vowel (a, e, i, o, u) or a mute h, while a is used if the next word starts with a consonant (the rest of the alphabet) or before words beginning with eu or u when they sound like you. For example:
- An apple
- An honest woman
- A girl
- A used car
- A euphemism
The indefinite article is used when:
I – Referring to something for the first time
- A fly was hovering over the soup.
II – Naming a member of a group
- Melissa is studying to be a doctor.
III – Describing religions and nationalities in the singular
- A German co-worker taught me the language.
- She is dating a Frenchman.
IV – Referring to the names of the days of the week
- John was born on a Sunday.
V – Referring to an example of something
- There was a strange odor about him.
- He drove by in a beautiful red car.
VI – Accompanied by singular nouns following such and what
- She was such a beauty!
- What a gorgeous day!
VII – Replacing the word one
- I’d like an orange juice and a lemonade please.
3. Demonstratives
Demonstratives identify the position of a person, object, or event in relation to the speaker. They can refer to physical or psychological proximity. Near demonstratives (here, this, these) are sometimes used to refer to the present, whereas far demonstratives (there, that, those) sometimes refer to the past. For example:
- Here’s the book you were looking for.
- This is exactly what I wanted.
- These are my books.
- John has put his keys right there on the table.
- Is that your car?
- Those are my keys.
4. Quantifiers
Quantifiers are adjectives and adjectival phrases that answer questions like “How much?” and “How many?”. For example:
- There are more apples on the tree than I could eat.
- Could I borrow some sugar please?
- Do you have any applesauce?
- She likes all kinds of desserts.
- Few children like broccoli.
5. Possessives
Possessives are determiners that are used to refer to a person or object that belongs to someone or something. For example:
- Is this your car?
- We are going to visit my uncle today.
- The dog growled and bared its teeth.
- This is our family home.
6. Numbers
Cardinal numbers (one, two, three, etc.) are adjectives that refer to quantity, while ordinal numbers (first, second, third, etc.) refer to distribution. For example:
- The earthquake rendered fifty thousand people homeless.
- Brady visited China for the fourth time in two years.
7. Distributives
Distributives refer to groups of people or objects as well as to individual members of a group. They express different ways of referring to individuals and show how something is divided, shared, or distributed. For example:
- Both my parents were born in the fifties.
- All the families in the area had to be evacuated because of the hurricane.
- Neither child wanted to share their toys.
8. Pre-Determiners
Pre-determiners can be classified into four types:
I – Intensifiers are pre-determiners that express an opinion or emotion about the noun they modify. They are generally (though not always) placed before an indefinite article + adjective + noun. For example:
- It’s rather a small car.
- It was quite a nice day.
- She is such a beautiful woman!
- What an incredible teacher he is!
II – Multipliers such as double, triple, once, twice, four times are used to express more than the specified amount.
- The van holds twice the passengers a sports car does.
- I check my email three times a day.
III – Fractional expressions such as a third, a quarter, three fourths, half are used to express a fraction of an amount.
- He finished three quarters of the bottle in one go.
- The bus will arrive in half an hour.
IV – Others such as all or both are used to express an entire amount.
- Both of Jamie’s bike tires are flat.
- All her friends came to her birthday party.
9. Difference Words
Determiners of difference are placed before a noun and refer to something that is different, extra, or remaining.
I – Other can be used alone or preceded by some, any, and no.
- Do you have other books?
- I have some other clothes you could try.
II – Another accompanies singular countable nouns. It is often used with singular measuring words when used for uncountable nouns.
- I would like another cup of coffee
- Why don’t you have another go at the game?