Determiners are a kind of noun modifier, they precede and are necessarily followed by nouns. While adjectives perform a similar function, the term ‘determiner’ refers to a relatively limited set of well-established words that can be said to ‘mark’ nouns. The function of determiners is to ‘express reference’ (they clarify what a noun is referring to.) For example, when one says ‘that box’, the listener knows which box is being referred to.
There are many types of determiners :
– ARTICLES –
-There are three articles: a, an, and the.
a) Indefinite Articles
- A and an are indefinite articles that serve the same purpose, but they cannot be used interchangeably, because ‘a’ is only used before words that begin with consonants, and ‘an’ is used only before words that begin with vowels.
- (Note: ‘an’ before ‘h’ when it is silent, as in ‘hour’ and ‘honour’; ‘a’ before ‘u’ and ‘eu’ when they sound like ‘you’, as in ‘European’ and ‘university’. The uses of the indefinite article are as follows:
i) To refer to some member of a group, class or category. For example : He is a doctor profession)/an Indian (nationality)/a Hindu (religion)
ii) To refer to a kind of or example of something. For example : He has a large nose/a thick beard/a strange aunt.
iii) Preceding singular nouns, with the words ‘what’ and ‘such’. For example : What a car! Oh, that’s such a shame!
iv) To mean ‘one’ object, whether a person or thing. For example : The thieves stole a necklace and a portrait.
v) To refer to something that is being mentioned for the first time. For example : There was a chill in the air.
b) Indefinite Articles
‘The’ is known as the definite article in English. Its uses are as follows:
i) When something is being referred to that has already been mentioned. For example: I saw a pretty girl at the mall today. The pretty girl did not, however, see me.
ii) When both parties involved in the conversation are aware of what is being discussed. For example: Where is the restroom?
iii) To refer to unique objects. For example: the sun, the moon, the Earth, the Taj Mahal.
iv) With superlatives and ordinal numbers (numbers used to rank a set of objects). For example: Mt Everest is the tallest mountain on earth, Neil Armstrong was the first man on the moon.
v) To refer to groups of people, geographical areas and oceans, and with decades or groups of years. For example : the Americans, the Sahara/Pacific, the fifties/sixties/seventies/eighties.
There are few rules that we need to understand on how to use ‘the’ in certain sentences.
– QUANTIFIERS –
- A quantifier is a word that usually goes before a noun to express the quantity of the object.
- Most quantifiers are followed by a noun, though it is also possible to use them without the noun when it is clear what we are referring to. For example: Do you want some milk? – Just a little. (It’s clear that I mean ‘a little milk’.)
- There are quantifiers to describe large quantities (a lot, much, many), small quantities (a little, a bit, a few) and undefined quantities (some, any). There are also quantifiers that express the idea of a sufficient amount (enough, plenty)
- There are some quantifiers that have a similar meaning but differ because one is used with countable nouns and the other is used with uncountable nouns. –
- Countable nouns are things that we can count; for example, a table, two chairs. Uncountable nouns are things that we cannot count and only have a singular form; for example, some furniture, some fruit.
a) Much, Many, A lot (of)
We use many, much, a lot (of) to refer to big quantities. We use ‘many’ with countable nouns and ‘much’ with uncountable nouns, and we can use ‘a lot (of)’ with both countable and uncountable nouns. In modern English it is very common to use ‘a lot (of)’ in affirmative sentences instead of ‘many’ and ‘much’. Here are some examples:
| MANY + COUNTABLES | MUCH + UNCOUNTABLES |
| many pens | much money |
| A LOT OF + COUNTABLES | A LOT OF + UNCOUNTABLES |
| a lot of pens | a lot of money |
- EXAMPLES
- There are many things to do today.
- We have a lot of time left, don’t worry.
- Many people take the train to work.
- Much Italian wine is sold abroad.
b) A Few, A Little, A Bit (of)
To talk about small quantities we can use ‘a few’ and ‘a little’. We use ‘a few’ with countable nouns and ‘a little’ with uncountable nouns. It’s also possible to use ‘a bit’ with uncountable nouns, but it is more informal.
| A FEW + COUNTABLES | A LITTLE + UNCOUNTABLES |
| A few students | A little water, A bit of salt |
- EXAMPLES :
- We need a few coins for the car park.
- Would you like a little milk in your coffee?
* NOTES * When we want to refer to a small quantity with a negative sense, we use ‘few’ and ‘little’ without ‘a’. For example:
- Few trains arrive on time. (A small number of trains arrive on train which is a bad thing.)
- Little attention is given to the problem of parking. (A small amount of attention is given to this problem and it’s not good.)
c) Some, Any
When we want to refer to a plural noun or an uncountable noun, without giving a specific quantity, we use ‘some’ and ‘any’. We use ‘some’ in affirmatives and ‘any’ in questions and negatives.
| Positive (+) | Negative (-) | Question (?) |
| There is some milk. | There isn’t any milk. | Is there any milk? |
| There are some chips. | There aren’t any chips. | Are there any chips? |
- EXAMPLES :
- We have some free time later this afternoon.
- She doesn’t want any coffee.
- Do they need any bread?
d) Enough, Plenty (of)
The words ‘enough’ and ‘plenty’ express the idea of being a sufficient quantity. Both words can go with countable and uncountable nouns. We use ‘plenty (of)’ to mean there is more than a sufficient quantity of something.
- EXAMPLES
- Slow down. We’ve got plenty of time to get to the station.
- I need more plates. – No, we don’t. There are plenty!
- We use ‘enough’ to express the idea of having, or not having, a sufficient quantity. For example: I think we have enough vegetables so I won’t buy any more.
QUANTIFIERS LIST
| UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS | BOTH | COUNTABLE NOUNS |
|---|---|---|
| much | all | many |
| a little/little/very little | enough | a few/few/very few |
| a bit (of) | more/most | a number (of) |
| a great deal of | less/least | several |
| a large amount of | no/none | a large number of |
| a large quantity of | not any | a majority of |
– DEMONSTRATIVES –
- This, that, these and those are known as demonstratives. They describe the position of an object, seen from the speaker’s viewpoint.
- This and these (used for singular and plural nouns respectively) refer to objects that close by.
- That and those (used for singular and plural nouns respectively) refer to objects that are further away. The closeness can be physical or psychological.
– MULTIPLIERS –
- Multipliers are words and expressions that modify uncountable nouns and plural countable nouns by multiplying quantity.
- EXAMPLES
- “I now earn double my previous wage.”
- “For this recipe, we need three times the sugar.”
- “This airplane holds twice the passengers as the other model.”
– DISTRIBUTIVES –
Distributive determiners are words that give information about the noun in a clause or sentence. They may refer to a group or every individual in the group. Examples/words/list of Distributive Determiners are- each, every, all, both, half, either and neither.
- Each’ and ‘Every’ talk about the individual members of a group.
- ‘All’ collectively talks about the whole group.
- ‘Half’ talks about the divided group.
- ‘Either’ and ‘neither’ talk about a group of two.
Use of ‘Each’ and ‘Every’ as Distributive Determiner
‘Each’ is used to refer to every individual in a group while ‘every’ is used to see the group as collection of members. Both ‘each’ and ‘every’ can only be used with countable nouns. Consider the sentences:
- Each child was laughing.
- Every child was laughing.
‘Each’ when followed by ‘of’ can be used for plural nouns also. For example:
- Each of the children was laughing.
- He got each of the men out safely.
‘Every’ on the other hand cannot be used with plural nouns. For example:
- Every children were laughing. – Incorrect
- Every men was running. – Incorrect
Use of ‘all’ as Distributive Determiner
‘All’ refers to every member of the group collectively. All may refer to the uncountable nouns or plural countable nouns. For example consider the following sentences-
- All milk was spoiled.
- All men need money.
Sometimes while referring to the plural nouns ‘all’ can be followed by ‘the’ or ‘of the’. For example:
- All the children were playing.
- All of the men were in a hurry.
- All of you have to pay for it.
With plural uncountable nouns:
- I need all of the sugar.
- Who drank all of the juice?
- You need all of you courage!
Use of ‘half’ as a Distributive Determiner
Half determines the group or quantity exactly divided into two equal parts. We will understand the use of ‘half’ with help of certain examples:
- Half of his money goes to charity.
- He ate half of the banana.
- I gave him half of the sugar I had.
For measurements ‘half’ is used prefixed with ‘a’ or ‘an’. For example:
- Bring half a kilo tea from the market.
- May I have half a cup of tea please?
Use of ‘both’, ‘either’ and ‘neither’ as Distributive Determiners
‘Both’, ‘either’ and ‘neither’ are used to refer to a pair of person, place or thing. ‘Both’ collectively refers to the whole pair, ‘either’ on the other hand refers to any one member from the pair and neither negates the pair. Go through the following sentences:
- Both my cars are black.
- Both of my cars are black.
- Both boys went to Seattle.
Either is used to refer to any one member of the pair and is stresses equivalence on both of the members. For example:
- Either of the books was worth keeping.
- I would love to dine at either of the hotels.
‘Neither’ negates the pair and is equivalent to- not the one nor the other.
- Neither car is working.
- Neither child came.
Either and neither can be used with plural nouns when prefixed with ‘of’ :
- Either of men was dancing.
- Neither of the cows gives milk.
– POSSESSIVES –
Possessive pronouns and adjectives indicate who an object belongs to.
- EXAMPLES:
- mine (first person: This car is mine = I own this car)
- yours (second person: This car is yours = You own this car)
- his, hers, and its (third person: This cars is his/hers = He/she owns this car).
– FRACTIONS –
Fractions are used in a similar way as multipliers, but instead of multiplying the quantity of the noun, they divide it. We usually use of between the fractional expression and the other determiner, but it is not always necessary.
- EXAMPLES
- “I used to earn half (of) my current salary.”
- “These brownies were too sweet last time, but I found a recipe that only calls for a quarter (of) the sugar.”
- “One-tenth of all respondents answered ‘yes’ to the question.” (Of is necessary in this construction.)
| The students had a quarter of an hour left for their test. |  |
| Bobby ate half a sandwich. |  |
PPISMP TSL1024 STUDY NOTES 
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