Determiners

DETERMINERS

DETERMINERS

An important role in English grammar is played by determiners. These are words that precede a noun and serve to express its reference in the context. A determiner is used to modify a noun.

DETERMINERS

It indicates reference to something specific or something of a particular type. The determiner is used in every case to clarify the noun.

DETERMINERS

The most common of these are the definite and indefinite articles –the, a and an. Other determiners in English include demonstratives such as this and that, possessives such as my  and quantifiers such as all, many, three etc.

DETERMINERS

Subject pronouns like I , you , he , etc. and possessive pronouns-mine, yours, his, etc. cannot be determiners because they can never be followed by a noun.

DETERMINERS

Determiners are followed by a noun. For example

The carThis dressSome men

TYPES OF DETERMINERS

DEFINITE ARTICLEA definite article indicates that its noun is a particular one (or ones) identifiable to the listener.

It may be something that the speaker has already mentioned, or it may be something uniquely specified.

TYPES OF DETERMINERS

TYPES OF DETERMINERS

DEFINITE ARTICLEThe definite article in English, for both singular and plural nouns, is ‘the’.

For example- A baby was playing with his toys in his room. The toys were scattered all over the room.

TYPES OF DETERMINERS

INDEFINITE ARTICLEAn indefinite article indicates that its noun is not a particular one (or ones) identifiable to the listener.

It may be something that the speaker is mentioning for the first time.

TYPES OF DETERMINERS

INDEFINITE ARTICLEIts precise identity may be irrelevant or hypothetical.

The speaker may be making a general statement about any such thing.

TYPES OF DETERMINERS

INDEFINITE ARTICLEEnglish uses a/an, from the Old English forms of the number 'one', as its primary indefinite article.

The form ‘an’ is used before words that begin with a vowel sound (even if spelled with an initial consonant, as in an hour).

TYPES OF DETERMINERS

INDEFINITE ARTICLE ‘A’ is used before words that begin with a consonant sound (even if spelled with a vowel, as in a European).

For example -She had a house so large that an elephant would get lost without a map.

TYPES OF DETERMINERS

DEMONSTRATIVEDETERMINERSA demonstrative determiner modifies a noun:

These flowers are beautiful.

I like those houses.

TYPES OF DETERMINERS

A demonstrative pronoun stands on its own, replacing rather than modifying a noun:

This is good.I like those.

TYPES OF DETERMINERSQUANTIFIERS

A quantifier, as the name signifies, expresses how much / how many of something exists/exist. 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.

TYPES OF DETERMINERS

TYPES OF DETERMINERS

QUANTIFIERSSome quantifiers work with countable nouns but not with uncountable nouns. For example- “many horses,” but not “many water”. Others are used only with mass nouns. For example-“little water”

TYPES OF DETERMINERS

TYPES OF DETERMINERS

POSSESSIVESPossessive determiners modify the noun following it in order to show possession. For example- my, your, his, her, its, our, your, their etc.

This is my house. (my is a possessive determiner. It is followed by the noun house which it modifies)

REFERENCEShttp://www.dailywritingtips.com/

what-is-a-determiner/http://www.myenglishpages.com/

site_php_files/grammar-lesson-determiners.php#.U7rG_pSSySo

http://grammar.yourdictionary.com/parts-of-speech/nouns/what/what-is-a-determiner.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_determiners