UNIT IV Determiners

UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL DE TUCUMAN Introducción a la Gramática Inglesa
FACULTAD DE FILOSOFIA Y LETRAS DETERMINERS
UNIT IV:
DETERMINERS
Cuadernillo Anual – Año 2014 Página 61

UNIT Nº 4: DETERMINERS
Theory Section
The reference each noun phrase has depends on its determinative element, i.e., the item which
“affects” or “determines” the meaning of it. This function is typically realized by DETERMINERS,
which occur “before” nouns. Determiners are a set of closed class system items mutually
exclusive with each other. They make it clear, for example, which particular thing(s) we are
referring to or how much of a substance we are talking about. E.g.:
 Definite article: The t-shirt I’m wearing is new. (I’m telling you which).
 Demonstrative: I bought this shirt yesterday. (The one I’m showing you).
 Numbers: I bought two new shirts yesterday. (That’s how many I bought).
Thus, we say that the noun phrase in (1) has indefinite reference and the noun phrase in (2) has
definite reference:
(1) Have you seen a bicycle? (2) Have you seen the bicycle?
We distinguish three classes of determiners:
1. PREDETERMINERS, e.g.: half, all, double, two-thirds, such.

2. CENTRAL DETERMINERS, e.g.: the definite article “the”, the indefinite article “a/an” and
zero.
3. POSTDETERMINERS, e.g.: cardinal and ordinal numerals, many, few.
Predeterminers and postdeterminers indicate quantity and central determiners are used for the
purposes of classification and identification. The three classes of determiners have been set up
on the basis of their position in the noun phrase in relation to each other. Thus, we do not find a
central determiner followed by a predeterminer. E.g.:
~ * the all children
But only the order 1, 2, 3 given above is possible. E.g.:
~ All the children

~ All the first comers
~ Both my last presentations
CENTRAL DETERMINERS
The definite and the indefinite articles are the commonest central determiners and their
distribution depends on the class of noun that follows them:
COUNT NONCOUNT
SINGULAR Definite the book the music
Indefinite a book music
PLURAL Definite the books -
Indefinite books -
Besides the definite article the, we have two indefinite articles a and zero. “a” occurs with
singular count nouns and “zero” occurs with noncount and plural count nouns.
 Like the definite article, there are several other determiners that can cooccur with singular
count, plural count and noncount nouns:

a) The DEMONSTRATIVES: this and that (with noncount and singular count nouns), these
and those (with plural count nouns): E.g.:
~ I prefer this picture/music to that picture/music.

~ These desks are made locally but those tables are imported.
b) The POSSESSIVES: my, our, your, his, her, its, their. E.g.:
~ I admire her house/her books/her determination.
c) The relative WH- determiners: which, whose. E.g.:
~ Please come at noon, by which time I will be back.

~ The woman whose book you reviewed is on TV.
d) The WH-determiners in –ever: whichever, whatever, whosever. E.g.:
~ Vote for whichever proposal you think most favourable.

~ For whatever reason, don’t be late again.
~ Whosever idea this may be, I don’t like it.
e) The interrogative determiners what, which, whose. E.g.:
~ What time is it?

~ Which house do you prefer?
~ Whose ideas are these?
f) The NEGATIVE determiner no. E.g.:
~ He has no car/no children/no concentration.
 Like the indefinite article, there are determiners that cooccur only with singular count nouns:
a) The UNIVERSAL determiners every and each. E.g.:
~ We need to interview each/every student separately.
b) The DUAL determiners either and neither. E.g.:
~ There is no parking permitted on either side of the street.

~ Parking is permitted on neither side of the street.
 Like the zero article, there are determiners that cooccur only with noncount nouns and plural
count nouns:
a) The GENERAL determiners some and any. E.g.:
~ I would like some food/ biscuits, please.

~ I wouldn’t like any food/biscuits, thanks.
b) The QUANTITATIVE determiner enough. E.g.:

~ We have enough food/biscuits for the picnic.

*Note: Stressed some can also occur with certain singular count nouns, especially temporal
nouns. E.g.:
~ Some day he will get his scholarship.
With the meaning “a certain”, stressed some can also cooccur with other singular count nouns.
E.g.:
~ Some odd person asked for you on the phone.
Stressed any can occur also with singular count nouns under certain conditions. E.g.:
~ I will consider any offer. (It doesn’t matter which)
The Genitive as Determiner
Most commonly the genitive functions as a determiner: it fills in a slot in the noun phrase
equivalent to a central determiner like the. E.g.:
Her desk Mary’s desk my daughter’s desk
In the last genitive construction, the genitive noun has its own determiner, i.e., the possessive
pronoun my which does not apply to desk but to daughter. In other words, the genitive in this
example is not a single word but a noun phrase.
In cases such as many people’s ambition, many requires plural concord, determining the plural
noun people rather than the singular noun ambition.
Thus, one indication of the determiner function of the genitive is that the genitive phrase is
normally in initial position in the noun phrase, so that any words occurring in front of the genitive
noun in the phrase belong to that noun rather than to the noun which is head of the noun
phrase. It is important to highlight that the genitive construction is mutually exclusive with central
determiners.
The Genitive as Modifier
There are cases in which the genitive acts as modifier rather than as a determiner. In this case,
it has a classifying role similar to that of adjectives. The descriptive genitive typically occurs as
modifier. E.g.:
~ There are several women’s universities in Tokyo. (several universities for

women)
The genitive construction in the example above helps to classify the type of universities.
The genitive as modifier differs in a number of respects from the genitive as determiner. First,
the former responds to the question What kind of...? rather than Whose?, which displays its
similarity to adjectives and other noun premodifiers, rather than to determiners. Second, the
genitive as modifier cannot be replaced by a possessive pronoun, as opposed to the genitive as
determiner. Third, the genitive as modifier can be preceded by determiners and modifiers of the
whole noun phrase, rather than of the genitive phrase. E.g.:
~ All the women’s universities in Tokyo.
Finally, the genitive as modifier is frequently paraphrased by a for- phrase rather than an of-
phrase. E.g.:
~ Children’s clothes (clothes for children)

PREDETERMINERS
Predeterminers precede central determiners with which they can cooccur and they have to do
with quantification.
a) All, both, half
These have in common the positive characteristic of being able to occur before the articles, the
demonstratives and the possessives. E.g.:
~ All the students

~ Both these students
~ Half our students
They also have the negative characteristic of not occurring before determiners that themselves
entail quantification: every, each, either, neither, some, any, no, enough.
 ALL occurs with plural count nouns and with noncount nouns. E.g.:
~ All the books / All books

~ All the music / All music
 BOTH occurs with plural count nouns. E.g.:
~ Both the books / Both books
 HALF occurs with singular and plural count nouns and with noncount nouns. E.g.:
~ Half the book(s) / Half a book

~ Half the music
As well as being predeterminers, all, both and half can, like demonstratives, be used
pronominally. E.g.:
~ All / both the students sat for the exam and all / both passed.
They can also be followed by an of-phrase. E.g.:
~ All / both / half of the students...
b) The multipliers
They occur with nouns denoting quantity. E.g.: twice her age; double the amount; three times
the usual cost; twice/double the length; three times her salary; once a day; twice a week; four
times a month; twice each week; three times each year; four times every day; once every week;
twice per year; five times per decade.
c) The fractions (one-third, two-fifths, etc)
Unlike the multipliers, the fractions have the alternative of-construction. The indefinite article can
replace one:
~ He did it in a / one third of the time.
d) “Such” and “what”
When such and what function as predeterminers, they have intensifying meaning. They occur
with singular and plural count nouns. When used with singular count nouns, they are followed
by the indefinite article:

~ He is such a fool.
~ They are such fools.
~ What a mess they made!

~ What babies they are!
POSTDETERMINERS
Postdeterminers take their place immediately after central determiners, just as predeterminers
take their place immediately before central determiners. Compare:
Predeterminer: Both the young women were successful.
Postdeterminer: The two young women were successful.
Postdeterminers include:
a. Ordinal numerals and “general ordinals”, such as first, fourth, last, other, next, past.
b. Cardinal numerals, such as seven, ninety.
c. Quantifiers, such as many, few, little, plenty of, a lot of, a large number of, several. Where
they can cooccur, items from (a) usually precede items from (b) and (c). E.g.:
~ the first two poems

~ the last few possessions
~ her other many accomplishments
Among the (c) items, there are two important distinctions involving few and little. First, few
occurs only with plural count nouns, little with noncount nouns. Second, when preceded by a,
both have a positive meaning; without a, both have a negative meaning. E.g.:
~ I wrote a few poems. (“several”) =/= I wrote few poems. (“not many”)
~ I wrote a little poetry. (“some”) =/= I wrote little poetry. (“not much”)

REFERENCE
The articles and their reference
In English there are two main ways in which you can use a noun phrase. You can use it to refer
to someone or something, knowing that the person you are speaking to understands which
person or thing you are talking about. This can be called the specific way of referring to
someone or something.
The girl shouted at the lady.
Alternatively, you can use a noun phrase to refer to someone or something of a particular type,
without saying which person or thing you mean. This can be called the general way of referring
to someone or something.
I wish I had an umbrella.
Specific reference
The definite article
You can put the definite article “the" in front of any common noun when you are
referring to a specific person or thing, or to a specific group of people or things, and you know
that the person you are talking or writing to will understand which person, thing or group you are
referring to.
He stopped the car in front of the bakery.
Some nouns are normally used with “the” because they refer to only one person,
thing, or group. Some of these are specific names or proper nouns, for example titles such as
“the Pope”, unique things such as “the Bastille”, and place names such as “the Atlantic”. This is
a case of “unique reference”
We went on camel rides to the Pyramids.
Some of these nouns are singular. They refer to something of which there is only one in the
world. This is also a case of “unique reference”.
The sun began to turn Crimson.
Other nouns are used to refer to just one person, thing, or group in a particular
place or organization. For example, if there is only one station in a town, the people who live
there will talk about “the station”.
There is a win coming off the river.
What is the president doing about all this?
Some nouns which normally refer to an individual thing or person can be used in the
singular with “the” to refer generally to a system or service in a particular place. For
example, you can use “the bus” to refer to a bus service and “the phone” to refer to a
telephone system.
We rang for the ambulance.

How long does it take on the train?
A noun referring to a part of the human body can be used with “the”.
These arteries supply the heart with blood.

Anaphoric reference
You can use “the” with any noun, if who or what you are referring to is obvious from what has
been said or written. For example, if you have already mentioned that you have seen a mouse,
you can say afterwards “We tried to catch the mouse”.
I saw a mouse running in the kitchen. We tried to catch it but the mouse ran away.
2nd mention
st
1 mention Anaphoric reference
George wrote a novel and a play, but the novel was printed before.
1st mention 2nd mention
Anaphoric reference
Cataphoric reference
There are instances in which “the” indicates that the identity of the reference will be established
by what follows. This use of the definite article is limited to cases where the postmodification of
the noun phrase restricts the reference of the noun to uniqueness.
The wines of France are among the best in the world.
I am trying to find the book that I wanted to show you.
The indefinite article
In contrast to “the” an indefinite article is used when a reference cannot be

regarded as uniquely identifiable from the shared knowledge of speaker and listener.
I’m about to move into an apartment quite near where you live.
The indefinite article is commonly associated with “first mention” of an item.
A girl is helping an old lady. The girl is carrying the lady’s bags.
1st mention 1st mention 2nd mention 2nd mention
Body parts which are multiple can be individually referred to with the
indefinite article.
Sally has sprained an ankle.
We often use the indefinite article as an unstressed variant of the numeral one. In
such cases, one could replace “a” “an” with only a slight implication of greater emphasis.
They arrived late and could only find one / a seat.
That fridge costs a / one thousand pesos.
The zero article
Apart from proper nouns, common nouns take the zero article with definite meaning only in
rather special circumstances.
Where a phrase specifies “a unique role or task”. As the following examples show,
In such cases the zero article alternates with the.

Tom is (the) captain of the team

John F. Kennedy was (the) President of USA in 1961.
As (the) chairman of the committee, I declare this meeting closed.
In each of these examples, it is implied that only one person holds the particular position
mentioned.
In institutional usage, zero replaces the in a way that implies proper-name status
for an item:
Council will consider this in due course. The council will...
We can have zero with implication of definite rather than indefinite meaning. This is
especially so with “idiomatically institutionalized expressions relating to common experience”:
a) Quasi-locatives: where a particular activity or role in connection with the location is implied:
Be in town. Compare: The town is very old.
Go to bed. Lie down on the bed.
Go to church. How far is the church?
Be in prison. Don´t stop near the prison.
Be in class. The class works hard.
Be at school. Visit the school.
Go to sea. Look out towards the sea.
Be in hospital. Redecorate the hospital.
b) “Transport and communication”: When by precedes the mode in question, zero occurs:
Travel/come/go by bicycle/bus/train/car/plane, but compare:
Take the bicycle. She was on the bus. I prefer the car.
Communicate by mail/post/telex/satellite/telephone/radio, but compare:
The post/mail is late today. Jill is on the phone. A talk on the radio.
c) “Time expressions”: Zero is common, especially after the prepositions at, by, after and
before:
at dawn/daybreak/sunset/night/sunrise/noon/dusk/twilight.
by morning/evening. (“when morning/evening came”)
by day/night. (“during”)
after dark/nightfall
before morning/dawn/dusk
d) “Seasons”: The article is usually, but not always omitted when referring to seasons
generally, as distinct from referring to a particular part of a particular year:
(The) winter is coming.
In (the) spring/summer/autumn (Fall in AmE has the article).
But with reference to a particular season, the article is included:

The spring of last year was cold.
The autumn before last was unusually busy.
e) “Meals”: Zero is usual unless reference is made to a particular one:

What time do you normally have breakfast/brunch/lunch/dinner?
Compare:
(The) breakfast/lunch/tea/dinner was served late that day.
e) “Illness”: Zero is normal, especially where the illness bears a technical medical name:
She has anaemia/cancer/diabetes/influenza/pneumonia/toothache.

But the is also used for afflictions less technically designated:

She had (the) flu/hiccups/measles/mumps.
Some conditions call for the indefinite article:

A cold (but catch cold), a fever, a headache, a temperature.
f) “Fixed phrases”: Fixity is particularly notable with some prepositional phrases :

on foot, in step, out of step, in turn, by heart, in case of, by reason of, with intent to.
Zero is characteristic of “binominal expressions”, two nouns placed together in a parallel

structure, used adverbially:
arm in arm , face to face, day by day, hand in hand, eye to eye, mile after mile, back to back,
side by side, inch by inch , man to man ,from beginning to end, from father to son from right to
left , husband and wife.
Generic Reference
A speaker uses generic nouns to make generalizations. A generic noun represents a whole
class of things; it is not a specific, real, concrete thing but rather a symbol of a whole group.
The definite article
Nouns referring to musical instruments can be used in the singular with “the” when you are
talking about someone’s ability to play a particular kind of instrument.
George plays the piano for hours.
Nouns referring to living things can be used in the singular with “The” when
you are making a statement about every member of a species.
Australia is the home of the kangaroo.
No one knows when the wheel was invented.
With plural nouns, the is used to express generic meaning in two special cases:
1- Nationality names, where the referent is a national or ethnic group. Eg: the Chinese, the
Russians, the English.
There is a distinction in many cases between the generic items ending in –ish, -sh, or –ch, and
the nongeneric nouns ending in –man in the singular and –men in the plural. Compare:
The Welsh are fond of sport. (generic)

Welshmen are fond of sport. (generic)
The Welshman is fond of sport. (generic or specific)
The Welshmen are fond of sport. (specific)
2- Phrases with an adjective head referring to a group of people. Eg:

the blind (people who are blind), the unemployed, the rich, etc.
The indefinite article
The indefinite article is used with singular count nouns. You can use the indefinite article with a
noun when you are using one individual person or thing to make a general statement about all
people or things of that type. For example: if you say “A gun must be kept in a safe place”, you
are talking about an individual gun in order to make a general statement about all guns.
A doctor heals sick people.
Ø Parents must give a child love.
Although you do not normally use determiners with noncount nouns, you can
use “a” or “an" when it is modified or qualified.
A general education is more important than an exact knowledge of some particular theory.
The zero article
The zero article (∅) is used with plural count nouns and noncount nouns. Using the zero article
is by far the most natural way of expressing generic reference. Normally if you want to make a
statement about all the people or things of a particular kind you use the plural form of the noun
with the zero article.
Ø Fruit is good for you.
Ø Permission should be asked before ∅ visitors are invited.
Exceptionally, some count nouns function as non count generics in this way.
Mary is studying dance as well as film.
When man meets woman, a certain tension seems natural.
****************
BIBLIOGRAPHY
 Greenbaum S. and R. Quirk. (1990). A Student’s Grammar of the English Language.

Longman: London. (Chapter 5)
 Alexander, L.G. (1999). Longman English Grammar. Longman. (Chapter 3)
 Quirk, R; S. Greenbaum and G. Leech (1985). A Comprehensive Grammar of the English
Language. Longman. (Chapter 5)

UNIT Nº 4: DETERMINERS
Practice section
Task Nº 1. Underline all the nouns that can be used after the determiners given in the
following sentences.
1. Every detail / explanation / information / news he gave us seemed inaccurate to me.

2. Each bag / luggage / suitcase should be labelled.
3. Neither computer / equipment / machine / machinery is suitable.
4. There’s not enough fun / joke / joy around these days.
5. They have no excuse / computer / hope / fans at all.
6. That book / behaviour / cd is his.
7. I bought neither food / sweater / car / cars.
8. We still have some time / food / hamburger / hamburgers.
9. I don’t need any hope / shirt / shirts / meat.
10. Which book / books / food would you like?
Task Nº 2. Classify the following genitive constructions according to their grammatical

status. Then justify your choice.
 boys’ camp _____________________________________________________________

 Susan’s college __________________________________________________________
 the dog’s coach __________________________________________________________
 the girl’s face ____________________________________________________________
 a girl’s face _____________________________________________________________
Task Nº 3. Study the underlined noun phrases and classify the determiners into pre-,
central, and postdeterminers.
The first three pages of the book really catch the reader’s attention.
_________________________________________________________________________
All these last months have been very tiring.

_________________________________________________________________________
Mary’s last two husbands were both twice her age.

_________________________________________________________________________
There were several more questions about this topic.

_________________________________________________________________________
Task Nº 4. Complete the sentences with an appropriate determiner. Then, classify them.
1. After a long walk, ________________my feet had blisters on them.

2. The patients know _______________ rights like________________ other consumers.
3. My grandparents were very stubborn. No argument could move ________________ old
person from decisions they have made.
4. His visit might do________________ harm than good.
5. I have two aunts but________________ relative has sent me a birthday card.
6. This new wealth can be seen in ________________village of the country.
7. The garden is quite big. There’s ________________space for the children to run around.
8. There’s only ________________cheque left in the book.
9. ________________mobile phone has made life easier for ________________people.
10. The novel Moments of Danger is about ________________US president who disappears
for ________________ hour.
11. ________________plans do you have for the summer? Would you like to visit us and see
________________ new house?
12. ________________ companies which cause pollution should be punished and those which
obey the law should be rewarded.
13. I know this place. I’ve been here ________________ times before.
14. Planes are big polluters. They cause ________________ of pollution.
15. We trust you will be satisfied with the service you receive from us, but________________
complaints should be made in writing.
16. The poor have ________________ access to education than the rich in any country.
17. I see advertisements for jobs with ________________ the pay I’m getting now.
18. I couldn’t help shouting “________________ a mess!” when I saw the bedroom’s
untidiness.
19. He was ________________ a liar that nobody would believe his stories.
Task Nº 5. Rewrite the following sentences using “few, a few, little or a little” in place
of the underlined words. Make any other changes necessary.
1. Not many people are the weight they would like to be.
_________________________________________________________________________
2. It is all right to have some butter, but try to cut down the amount.
_________________________________________________________________________
3. Hardly any women nowadays want to spend all day in the kitchen.
_________________________________________________________________________
4. Crazy starvation diets offer hardly any prospect of success.

_________________________________________________________________________
5. A small amount of salt is all right, isn’t it?

_________________________________________________________________________
Task Nº 6. Say if reference in the following underlined articles is specific or generic.

1. A panda bear lives in Asia and feeds on bamboo leaves.
2. Some of the students in this class play the violin.
3. Excuse me, can you tell me how far the airport is?
4. Ø Money cannot buy happiness.
5. There’s nothing like being at Ø home after a long day.
6. She gave a nervous laugh and blushed.

Task Nº 7. Circle the right option in each case.
1. The poor represent a big portion of our society.

a) generic reference, adjective head.
b) specific reference, unique reference.
c) specific reference, first mention, one of many.
2. Ø Spring is coming. We will meet then.
a) generic reference, count nouns as noncount generics
b) specific reference, fixed phrases.
c) specific reference, institutionalized expressions.
3. Ø Responsibility is needed if you want to succeed.
a) generic reference, noncount nouns
b) specific reference, noncount nouns
c) specific reference, fixed phrases
4. Have you been introduced to the lady next to you?
a) specific reference, anaphoric reference
b) generic reference, singular nouns
c) specific reference, cataphoric reference
5. Could you please pass me the salt?
a) specific reference, anaphoric reference
b) specific reference, unique reference
c) specific reference, something that is visible or present.
6. Last night at 10 p.m. I was already in Ø bed.
a) specific reference, quasi locatives.
b) generic reference, count nouns.
c) specific reference, fixed phrases.

Task Nº 8. Match each underlined NP in column 1 with one type of reference in column
2.
Column 1 Column 2
a. Specific unique reference.
1. The little boy has bruised an elbow.
2. You can’t cross the street when the traffic b. Situational reference: general knowledge
shared by speaker and listener.
lights become green.
3. We talked almost until dawn. c. Specific reference: first mention, one of many.
4. It’s expensive to buy a Play Station. d. Definite article with ordinals, cardinals, etc.
5. A Mrs. Johansen is at the door. (linguistic reference)
6. This is the new bookcase. e. Noun defined by postmodification –

cataphoric reference. (linguistic reference)
7. The hotel we stayed at was quite
comfortable. f. Specific reference: what is visible or present.
8. I usually go to the market by bicycle. g. Generic reference: with definite article.
9. Budapest is the capital of Hungary.
h. Generic reference: with indefinite article.
10. Lack of money is a current problem.
11. Inch by inch, the soldiers were driven back. i. Generic reference: with zero article.
12. The Englishmen at the hotel are here on j. Specific reference: with zero article.
business.
k. Common noun with zero (specific reference):
13. The Russians tolerate cold climates better. idiomatic expression.
14. Anna was the last person to see him alive. l. Single body parts. (The)
15. Look at her face!. She got the measles.
m. Multiple body parts referred to individually.
16. This is one of the worst diseases known to (A/An)
man.
n. A phenomenon of common experience with
17. Mr. Brown, author of Da Vinci’s Code, has institutional status. (The)
made a fortune.
o. Indefinite article: equivalent to numeral “one”.
18. I can see an ant on the table. (specific reference)
19. I haven’t been to the cinema for ages. p. Specific reference: unique role or task
20. He nervously sat on the nearest chair. expressed with zero article.
21. Bats are among the most beneficial and q. Specific reference: nationality names.
necessary animals on Earth.
r. Indefinite article, indefinite reference: “a
certain ...”
s. Generic reference: exception singular count

noun without article.
t. Common noun with definite article to refer to

illnesses.

Task Nº 9. Supply the missing articles in each case. Sometimes more than one option
is possible. State the type of reference.
1. The girl has a pain in ____________ back.

2. Mary has___________ nephew but no nieces.
3. _________ photos were all in the wrong order.
4. _________ Mona Lisa was painted by Leonardo Da Vinci.
5. Our progress depends on the advancement of _________ science.
6. I prefer __________ black coffee for breakfast.
7. Some people enjoy going to ___________ park on a sunny Sunday afternoon.
8. She hit me on the head with _____________ stick.
9. ______________ children rarely tell lies.
10. They considered her _________ most appropriate candidate.
11. Since I am __________ teacher, I’m in charge of the syllabus.
12. What’s the name of ______________ client you want me to meet?
13. The nicest in the course were _________ Chinese.
14. They said goodbye at ___________ dawn.
Task Nº 10. Discuss the differences in meaning in the following pairs of sentences.
1. a) All the woman’s shoes were stolen by the burglar.
b) All these women’s shoes are sold in our shops worldwide.
2. a) All the books you sent us arrived yesterday.
b) Both the books you sent us arrived yesterday.
3. a) Few candidates passed all the tests.
b) A few candidates passed all the tests.
4. a) Any student can apply for this position.
b) No student can apply for this position.
5. a) I’m tired. I have little free time.
b) I can help you now. I have a little free time.

6. a) Read either novel and write a report.
b) Read every novel in the syllabus and write a report.
7. a) Daniel was the last person I expected to see at the party.
b) Daniel was the person I didn’t expect to see at the party.
c) Daniel was a person I didn’t expect to see at the party.
8. a) Do you have a dog in your house?
b) Do you have the dog in your house?
9. a) This is a very modern theatre.
b) The theatre round the corner is very modern.
10. a) We always go to work by bus.
b) We always take the bus to work.
11. a) I don’t believe in the supernatural.
b) I believe he’s been through a supernatural experience recently.

UNIT IV Determiners

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UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL DE TUCUMAN Introducción a la Gramática Inglesa

FACULTAD DE FILOSOFIA Y LETRAS DETERMINERS

Cuadernillo Anual – Año 2014 Página 61

We distinguish three classes of determiners:

1. PREDETERMINERS, e.g.: half, all, double, two-thirds, such.

~ * the all children

But only the order 1, 2, 3 given above is possible. E.g.:

~ All the children

Cuadernillo Anual – Año 2014 Página 62

~ I prefer this picture/music to that picture/music.

~ I admire her house/her books/her determination.

c) The relative WH- determiners: which, whose. E.g.:

~ Please come at noon, by which time I will be back.

d) The WH-determiners in –ever: whichever, whatever, whosever. E.g.:

~ Vote for whichever proposal you think most favourable.

e) The interrogative determiners what, which, whose. E.g.:

~ What time is it?

f) The NEGATIVE determiner no. E.g.:

~ He has no car/no children/no concentration.

a) The UNIVERSAL determiners every and each. E.g.:

~ We need to interview each/every student separately.

b) The DUAL determiners either and neither. E.g.:

~ There is no parking permitted on either side of the street.

a) The GENERAL determiners some and any. E.g.:

~ I would like some food/ biscuits, please.

b) The QUANTITATIVE determiner enough. E.g.:

Cuadernillo Anual – Año 2014 Página 63

~ Some day he will get his scholarship.

~ Some odd person asked for you on the phone.

~ I will consider any offer. (It doesn’t matter which)

The Genitive as Determiner

Her desk Mary’s desk my daughter’s desk

The Genitive as Modifier

~ There are several women’s universities in Tokyo. (several universities for

~ All the women’s universities in Tokyo.

~ Children’s clothes (clothes for children)

Cuadernillo Anual – Año 2014 Página 64

a) All, both, half

~ All the students

~ All the books / All books

 BOTH occurs with plural count nouns. E.g.:

~ Both the books / Both books

~ Half the book(s) / Half a book

c) The fractions (one-third, two-fifths, etc)

~ He did it in a / one third of the time.

d) “Such” and “what”

Cuadernillo Anual – Año 2014 Página 65

~ What a mess they made!

Predeterminer: Both the young women were successful.

Postdeterminer: The two young women were successful.

~ the first two poems

Cuadernillo Anual – Año 2014 Página 66

The articles and their reference

The girl shouted at the lady.

I wish I had an umbrella.

The definite article

He stopped the car in front of the bakery.

We went on camel rides to the Pyramids.