DETERMINER

 

DETERMINER
 
1. What is a determiner?
 
A determiner is a word that comes before a noun to express the relationship between a noun or noun phrase and other words in the sentence. A determiner typically indicates which or what noun is being referred to, and it provides additional information about the noun, such as its quantity, proximity, or ownership. Sometimes it comes before adjectives in a sentence. A determiner is often classified as a type of adjective, but it has some distinct characteristics.

A determiners typically answers questions like "Which one?", "What kind?", or "How many?" about the noun or noun phrase it precedes.

Examples:

- Articles (the, a, an) come before nouns: "the book", "a car"

- Possessive adjectives (my, your, his, her, its) come before nouns: "my book", "her car"

- Demonstratives (this, that, these, those) come before nouns: "this book", "those cars"

- Quantifiers (some, any, all, few) come before nouns: "some books", "all cars"

- Numbers (one, two, three) come before nouns: "one book", "two cars"

Sometimes, determiners can also come before adjectives, especially when the adjective is modifying a noun. For example:

- "The big house" (Here, "the" is a determiner coming before the adjective "big")

- "All happy children" (Here, "all" is a determiner coming before the adjective "happy")

However, not all determiners can come before adjectives. For example:

- Possessive adjectives typically come before nouns, not adjectives: "my big house" (not "my big")

- Demonstratives typically come before nouns, not adjectives: "this big house" (not "this big")

In summary, determiners usually come before nouns, but sometimes they can also come before adjectives, depending on the type of determiner and the sentence structure.
 
2. Types of determiners:
 
1. Articles: a, an, the
2. Possessive determiners: my, our, your, his, her, its, their
3. Demonstrative determiners: this, that, these, those, such

4. Distributive determiners: each, every, either, neither
5. Quantitative determiners (Quantifiers):

i. Indefinite Quantifiers: Some, any, all, few, a few, many, much, little, a little, another, a lot of, a plenty of, no, enough, several, most etc.

ii. Cardinal Quantifiers: one, ten, fifty, hundred, half, double, triple, quadruple, multiple etc.

iii. Ordinal Quantifiers: first, fifth, tenth, next, last, previous, subsequent etc.

6. Interrogative determiners: which, what, whose etc.

 
These types of determiners help to clarify the meaning of a sentence and establish the relationship between the noun and other words in the sentence.
 
3. Examples of determiners used in the sentences:
 
1. Articles:
    - "A dog is running in the park." (Here, "a" is an indefinite article determiner.)
    - "An owl is hooting." (Here, "an" is an indefinite article determiner.)
    - "The book is on the table." (Here, "the" is a definite article determiner.)
 
2. Possessive determiners:
    - "My cycle is red." (Here, "my" is a possessive determiner showing ownership.)
    - "Our car is blue." (Here, "our" is a possessive determiner showing ownership.)

    - "Your car is grey." (Here, "your" is a possessive determiner showing ownership.)
    - "His car is white." (Here, "his" is a possessive determiner showing ownership.)
    - "Her phone is ringing." (Here, "her" is a possessive determiner showing possession.)

    - "Its colour is blue." (Here, "its" is a possessive determiner showing ownership.)

    - "Their car is green." (Here, "their" is a possessive determiner showing ownership.)

 
3. Demonstrative determiners:
    - "This cake is delicious." (Here, "this" is a demonstrative determiner indicating proximity/nearness.)

    - "That cake is not delicious." (Here, "that" is a demonstrative determiner indicating distance/farness.)
    - "These shoes are mine." (Here, "these" is a demonstrative determiner indicating proximity/nearness.)
    - "Those shoes are yours." (Here, "those" is a demonstrative determiner indicating distance farness.)

    - "Such friends are rare." (Here, "such" is a demonstrative determiner indicating a typical kind.)

 
4. Distributive determiners:

    - "Each student has passed." (Here, "each" is a distributive determiner indicating individuality.)

    - "Either option is acceptable." (Here, "either" is a distributive determiner indicating a choice between two.)

    - "Neither answer is correct." (Here, "neither" is a distributive determiner indicating a choice between two.)

 

5. Quantitative determiners:
 i. Indefinite Quantifiers:   - "Some water is leaking from the pipe." (Here, "some" is a quantitative determiner indicating a non-specific amount.)

    - "I have some friends." (Here, “some" is an indefinite determiner indicating a small unspecified number.)

    - "Any help would be appreciated." (Here, "any" is an indefinite determiner indicating a non-specific amount or type.)
    - "All students are required to attend." (Here, "all" is a quantitative determiner indicating a total amount.)

    - "Few doctors live well." (Here, "few" is an indefinite determiner indicating non-specific amount.)
    - "A few players are playing." (Here, "a few" is an indefinite determiner indicating a small, non-specific amount.)

    - "Many players are playing." (Here, "many" is an indefinite determiner indicating a large but indefinite amount of countable things.)

    - "He has much knowledge." (Here, "much" is an indefinite determiner indicating a large but indefinite amount of uncountable things.)
    - "He has little knowledge." (Here, "little" is an indefinite determiner indicating a very small amount.)

    - "He has a little knowledge." (Here, "a little" is an indefinite determiner indicating a small amount, but enough to matter.)
    - "Few people know this." (Here, "few" is an indefinite determiner indicating a very small number.)

    - "A few people know this." (Here, "a few" is an indefinite determiner indicating a small limited number.)

    - "Give me another book." (Here, "another" is an indefinite determiner indicating an addition.)
    - "A lot of people attended the meeting." (Here, "a lot of” is an indefinite determiner indicating indefinitely a large number.)

    - "A lot of money was spent for the meeting." (Here, "a lot of” is an indefinite determiner indicating indefinitely a large amount.)

    - "A plenty of people attended the marriage ceremony." (Here, "a plenty of” is an indefinite determiner indicating indefinitely a large number.)

    - "A lot of money was spent for the marriage ceremony." (Here, "a plenty of” is an indefinite determiner indicating indefinitely a large amount.)

    - "I have no money." (Here, "no" is an indefinite determiner indicating zero amounts.)

    - "I have no friends." (Here, "no" is an indefinite determiner indicating zero number.)

    - "I have enough money." (Here, "enough” is an indefinite determiner indicating sufficient amount.)

    - "I have enough rivals." (Here, " enough” is an indefinite determiner indicating adequate number.)

    - "I have several friends." (Here, “several" is an indefinite determiner indicating a small number, i.e more than two.)

Most students have passed the test. (Here, "most” is an indefinite determiner indicating the largest part of the students.)

 

ii. Cardinal Quantifiers: one, ten, fifty, hundred, half, double, triple, quadruple, multiple etc.

 

    - "One student has passed." (Here, “one" is a cardinal determiner indicating a specific number.)

    - "Ten students have passed." (Here, “ten" is a cardinal determiner indicating an exact number.)

    - "Hundred students have passed." (Here, “hundred" is a cardinal determiner indicating an exact number.)

    - "Half of the students have passed." (Here, “half" is a cardinal determiner indicating a fraction of a whole number.)

    - "Multiple questions were set." (Here, “multiple" is a cardinal determiner indicating an indefinite number.)

 

iii. Ordinal Quantifiers: first, fifth, tenth, next, last, previous, subsequent etc.

    - "The fifth option is correct." (Here, “fifth" is a cardinal determiner indicating a particular position.)

    - "The next shop is open." (Here, “next" is a cardinal determiner indicating a particular position.)

    - "The last review is left." (Here, “last" is a cardinal determiner indicating a particular position.)

    - "The subsequent attempt was fruitful." (Here, “subsequent" is a cardinal determiner indicating a particular position.)

6. Interrogative determiners:
    - "Which book do you want to read?" (Here, "which" is an interrogative determiner asking for a specific choice.)
    - "What time is the meeting?" (Here, "what" is an interrogative determiner asking for a specific piece of information.)
 - "Whose book is this? (Here, "whose" is an interrogative possessive determiner asking about the ownership or possession of the book.)

4. Key differences between a determiner and an adjective:
- A determiner focuses on the relationship between the noun and other words, while an adjective focuses on the characteristics of the noun itself.
- A determiner usually comes before the adjectives in a sentence, while an adjective normally comes after the determiners (not always)
- A determiner is often used to specify which noun is being referred to, while an adjective describes the characteristics, qualities, or attributes of a noun.
 
For example:
- "The big house" - Here, "the" is a determiner indicating which house, and "big" is an adjective describing the size of the house.
- "Some happy children" - Here, "some" is a determiner indicating a non-specific amount, and "happy" is an adjective describing the children's emotions.
 
5. A determiner typically answers questions like:
1. Which one? (e.g., "Which book?" - "The book.")
2. Whose? (e.g., "Whose car?" - "My car.")
3. What quantity? (e.g., "How many books?" - "Three books.")
 
6. An adjective typically answers:
1. What kind? (e.g., "What kind of car?" - "A red car.")
2. How many? (e.g., "How many books?" - "Three big books.")
3. Which one? (e.g., "Which shirt?" - "The blue shirt.")
 
7. The question "How many?" does seem similar for both determiners and adjectives. However, there's a subtle difference:
 
- When determiners answer "How many?", they indicate the quantity or number of nouns, often using words like "three", "some", "few", or "many". For example:
    - "How many books?" - "Three books." (Here, "three" is a determiner indicating the quantity.)
- When adjectives answer "How many?", they describe the noun's characteristics or properties, often using words like "big", "small", "happy", or "tall". For example:
    - "How many books?" - "Three big books." (Here, "big" is an adjective describing the books' size.)
 
In the first case, the determiner ("three") indicates the number of books. In the second case, the adjective ("big") describes the books' size, while the determiner ("three") still indicates the number.
 
So, while the question "How many?" might seem similar, determiners focus on quantity, whereas adjectives describe the noun's characteristics.
 
8. The question "Which one?" is also similar for both determiners and adjectives.
 
In both cases, "Which one?" is asking for identification or specification. However, the focus is slightly different:
 
- Determiners: "Which one?" helps identify the specific noun, often using words like "the", "this", "that", or "my". For example:
    - "Which book?" - "The book." (Here, "the" is a determiner identifying the specific book.)
- Adjectives: "Which one?" helps describe the noun's characteristics or properties, often using words like "red", "big", "happy", or "old". For example:
    - "Which shirt?" - "The blue shirt." (Here, "blue" is an adjective describing the shirt's color.)
 
In both cases, "Which one?" is asking for specification, but determiners focus on identifying the noun, whereas adjectives describe the noun's characteristics.
 
9. Order of determiners and adjectives:
 
1. Determiner + Adjective + Noun:
    - The big house.
    - This happy person.
2. Determiner + Noun + Adjective (less common):
    - The house big and old. (This sounds unnatural in English, but it's used in some poetic or stylistic contexts.)
3. Adjective + Determiner + Noun (in certain cases):
    - All good things must come to an end. (Here, "all" is a determiner, and "good" is an adjective, but the order is reversed for emphasis or stylistic reasons.)
4. Determiner + Adverb + Adjective + Noun:
    - The incredibly beautiful view.

N.B.: The above topic has been prepared by the author taking the help of different sources including Meta AI.