Determiners

What are determiners?

• A determiner is used to modify a noun. ( They gives more information
about noun) It indicates reference to something specific or something
of a particular type. Determiners are followed by a noun. There is
normally only one determiner per sentence.
• Eg: 1. Many dogs were barking.
• 2. There are some students in the class.
• 3. I have got a few friends
• 4. He has got a little money in my pocket.
 Types of determiners
• Articles
• Demonstratives
• Possessives
• Quantifiers
 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, I've got a
friend in Canada.
• Articles – A / AN - before a singular noun which is countable
- when it is mentioned for the first time- and represents particular
person or thing- we use a/an with professions
• Articles – THE- We use the before a singular or plural noun, when
both the speaker and the listener know which noun is being referred
to.
• Example: The keys are on the table in the hallway.
• I have to go to the bank.
• We use the when there is only one.
• The sun ,The Sahara desert, The Gateway of India

• Articles – a/an or The, We use to introduce something for the first

time. When we refer to it again, we use the.
• Example: I ate a steak and a baked potato for dinner.
• I really enjoyed the steak, but the baked potato was cold.
• Complete the sentences with the correct article (a/an or the):
1 ___ moon was very bright last night.
• 2 Could you open ___ kitchen door?
• 3 Carla has bought ___house in ___ small village. I think ___ village is
charming.
• 4 My grandfather was ___ engineer.
• Answers: The, the, a, the, the, An
•
• Zero article (-)We use no article with plural and uncountable nouns
when talking about things in general.
• Example: Life is very stressful nowadays.
• Coffee keeps me awake.
• Zero article (-)We use no articles with meals. Let’s have lunch
together. but I had a great lunch at the new café. (=describing what
kind of lunch)
Possessive adjectives and pronouns:
• Eg: my, mine, you, your,she,is, her, hers, its, our, ours, their, theirs
• Example: This car is mine.
Possessive adjectives and pronouns:
• Possessive adjectives – used with a noun or a noun phrase
• Example: This is my car.
• Possessive pronouns – used alone, nothing after them
• .Example: This car is mine.
• Exercises: 1.Have you met _____ (I) brother yet?
2.Give them back to him, those keys are _____ (he)3.Here is a
postcard from ______ (they) friend Dina.4.I don’t like talking about
_____ (they).

• Exercises:5. She has a computer on _____ (she) desk. 6. Are these

books _____ (you)? 7. Your garden looks amazing, so much better
than _____ (I). 8. They spend ____ (they) money on junk food.
• Answers: My, His, Their, Them, her, Yours, Mine, their
Demonstrative determiners
• 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.)
Possessive pronoun
• Possessive pronouns - my, your, his, her, its, our, you, them –
• 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.)
• Exercises:
• _______ is very smelly.
You can smell _____ from over there.
• ______ medical test is tomorrow.
• _______ bags there, are they yours?

• Answers:This, That, His, Those

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.
• Types of determiners The second kind are quantifiers:
either, every, neither, much, many, more, most(a) little, less, least(a)
few, fewer, fewest enough, several all, both, half another, other
THE END