Determiners

Determiners are those words which function in a noun phrase to identify it as general or specific without explaining or modifying it. Determiners are used to modify and clarify nouns and are used before nouns. We can say that, Determiners are used to refer and quantify nouns.

Examples of Determiners

This, that, the, a, an, my, our, a few, a lot of, any, enough, all, each, every, such, rather, quite, one, two, twenty, both, less, least, which, whose, his, her, its, several, their, many, more

Determiners are often considered as same groups of words as Adjectives. However, we should understand that they are different and should not be put into the same category. Determiners are generally obligatory in sentences unlike Adjectives. Determiners also cannot form degrees unlike Adjectives.

Categories of Determiners

Determiners can be divided into two main groups:

  1. Specific Determiners
  2. General Determiners

Specific Determiners

Specific Determiners are those determiners which we use when we know exactly what we are referring to. Specific Determiners are as follows:

  • Definite Article: The
  • Interrogatives: which
  • Possessives: my, his, her, our, your, their
  • Demonstratives: this, that, those, these

Use in Sentences:

  • Thank you for the dress.
  • Whose pen is this?
  • Look at these books.
  • Can you pass her pizza?
  • Our house is beautiful.

General Determiners

General Determiners are those determiners which we use when we are not sure of what exactly we are referring to. General determiners are as follows:

What, another, any, a, an, other, another, several, neither

Use in sentences:

  • Give me another cup of coffee.
  • You can wear any dress of mine.
  • What is his profession?
  • I need a pretty pair of shoes.
  • I can’t help you. Why don’t you ask other friends?

Types of Determiners

Determiners are also categorized in the following way:

  1. Articles
  2. Quantifiers
  3. Numbers
  4. Demonstratives
  5. Possessives
  6. Interrogative Determiners

Articles : A/an(Indefinite),The (Definite)

Use in sentences:

  • The man is a doctor.
  • She is a murderer.

Quantifiers: little, few, much, more, most, some, several, any, each,

Use in sentences:

  • Some people are really very selfish.
  • More teenagers are smoking these days.
  • Each prisoner worked hard in the prison.
  • Several girls were kidnapped by terrorists.

Numbers: one, two, five, eight, eleven, thirteen, fifteen

Use in sentences:

  • I only have eleven dollars.
  • Can you give me two apples?

Demonstratives: This, that, those, these

Use in sentences:

  • This book is mine.
  • That house is new.
  • These people are nasty.
  • Those children are orphans.

Possessives: my, our, his, her, your, its, their Harry’s, Elizabeth’s etc.

Use in sentences:

  • This is my car.
  • Your work is rough.
  • Their fight was violent.

Interrogative Determiners: what, which

Use in sentences:

  • What is her name?
  • Which laptop is that?