what is determiner?
In the midst of all the nouns, pronouns, adjectives and articles a student is expected to learn, the determiner is often left by the wayside, untaught or taught incorrectly. The determiner
is an important noun modifier which contextualizes a noun, often in
terms of quantity and possession. Determiners in English precede a noun
phrase and include demonstratives, possessives, and quantifiers.
Determiners in English
There are many different determiners in the English language.
- Articles
are among the most common of the determiners. A, an, and the all
express the definiteness and specificity of a noun. For example, “the”
is a definite article, meaning the person using the word is referring to
a specific one. On the other hand, “a” or “an” are indefinite.
- Demonstratives,
such as this, that, these and those, require a frame of reference in
which an individual can point out the entities referred to by a speaker
or a writer.
- Quantifiers, such as all, few, and many, point out how much or how little of something is being indicated.
- When referring to an entity that belongs to another, you can use possessives. My, your, their, and its are a few examples.
There are many other types of determiners. For instance, cardinal numbers,
the numbers that are written out in English, are also included in the
class of determiners. Determiners are generally split into two
groups—definite determiners and indefinite determiners.
Function of a Determiners
A
determiner can take on a number of different meanings and roles in a
sentence. The determiner is used in every case to clarify the noun.
- They may be used to demonstrate or define something or someone.
Quantifiers
state how many of a thing, in number or expression. A determiner is
used to show that the noun indicated is a specific one (that one), not
an unspecific one (any).
- They may also state the differences between nouns.
While
determiners may have a number of other functions, most of them are
related to these two key areas. The list of determiners only numbers
about 50 words, and all of these words are commonly used by most
individuals. Determiners are not difficult to get the grasp of when
contrasted with adjectives, and do not take too long for native English
speakers to grasp. After all, how many times have you had trouble
deciding whether to say “the” or “a”?
You use
"general determiners" to talk about people or things without saying
exactly who or what they are.
The general determiners are:
|
the
indefinite articles : a, an
|
|
a few
a little
all
another
any
|
both
each
either
enough
every
|
few
fewer
less
little
many
more
most
much
|
neither
no
other
several
some
|
For
example:
- A man
sat under an umbrella.
- Have
you got any English books that I could have?
- There
is enough food to feed everyone.
General and specific determiners
Determiners are words which come at the beginning of the noun
phrase.
They tell us whether the noun phrase is specific or general.
Determiners are either specific or general
Specific determiners:
The specific determiners are:
- the
definite article: the
- possessives:
my, your,
his, her,
its; our,
their, whose
- demonstratives:
this, that,
these, those
- interrogatives:
which
We use a specific determiner when we believe the listener/reader
knows exactly what we are referring to:
Can you pass me the salt please?
Look at those lovely flowers.
Thank you very much for your letter.
Whose coat is this?
General determiners:
The general determiners are:
- a;
an; any; another; other; what
When we are talking about things in general and the listener/reader does not
know exactly what we are referring to, we can use a uncount
noun or a plural noun with no determiner:
Milk is very good for you. (= uncount
noun)
Health and education are very important. (= 2
uncount nouns)
Girls normally do better in school than boys.
(= plural nouns with no determiner)
… or you can use a singular noun with the indefinite article a or an:
A woman was lifted to safety by a
helicopter.
A man climbing nearby saw the accident.
We use the general determiner any with a
singular noun or an uncount noun when we are talking about all of
those people or things:
It’s very easy. Any child can do it. (=
All children can do it)
With a full licence you are allowed to drive any car.
I like beef, lamb, pork - any meat.
We use the general determiner another to
talk about an additional person or thing:
Would you like another glass of wine?
The plural form of another is other:
I spoke to John, Helen and a few other friends.
Quantifiers
We use quantifiers when we want to give someone information about
the number of something: how much or how many.
interrogative determiners:
which and what
We use
"which" as a determiner to ask a question about a specific group
of people or things:
Which
restaurant did you go to?
Which countries in South America have you visited?
When we are
asking a general question we use "what" as a
determiner:
What films
do you like?
What university did you go to?
Definition: When words have a grammatical relationship
which affects the form of one or more of the elements then they agree. We can
also say that Agreement is a form of cross-reference among all parts of a
sentence.
Note: Agreement is also known in some
texts as Concord
Some of
the most types of grammatical agreements are:
- Grammatical
person: Example: You are VS she is.
- Grammatical
number: Example: One cat VS Ten cats.
- Grammatical
gender: Example: Jose loves his girlfriend VS Maria loves her
dog.
- Grammatical
case: Example: I played with you VS She played with
me.
The
following example will teach us to understand in a better way this important
topic.
Example:
Five
Cows
Five Cows shows agreement because the Noun has the Plural Inflection,
which is required by the Number. It is another way of saying Concord.
Twenty
cats
In this example, twenty cats shows agreement because the Noun has the
Plural Inflection, which is required by the number.
source:
http://grammar.yourdictionary.com/parts-of-speech/nouns/what/what-is-a-determiner.html
http://aderikardo.blogspot.com/2012/09/determiner-quantifier.html
