Determiners in English Grammar: Definition, Type & Rules

In the English language, most of us understand what a noun or verb is. The determiner, on the other hand, is a crucial part of the language to understand. If you don’t already know what these are, they are words that are used in front of a noun to clarify what it refers to. This blog is your guide to everything Determiners!

Also Read: 5 English Grammar Rules to Remember

What are Determiners?

These terms basically indicate whether you’re talking about something general or something specific. Furthermore, it might inform your reader or listener of the quantity or number of something you’re referring to. Let’s talk about these clarifying terms, why they’re important, and how to apply them correctly.

Types of Determiners

In the English language, there are four different sorts of determiner words. Articles, demonstratives, possessives, and quantifiers are examples of these types. Let’s have a look at a few instances of each type.

• Articles are words such as a, an, and the.
• Demonstratives: this, that, these, those
• Possessive Adjectives: my, your, her, his, our, its, their
• Quantifiers: a little, a few, many, much, a lot of, most, any, some, enough
• Numbers: one, five, forty
• Distributives: both, all, half, neither, either, every, each
• Interrogatives: what, which, whose

Also Read: Adjective: Definition, Usage, Example, Forms, Types

Specific Determiners

Specific determiners are, well, specific! They demonstrate that the noun that follows is a unique and special item that can be identified from others of its kind. As a result, you’ll know exactly which thing you’re referring to when you use one of them. Let’s look at some examples in more detail. Following are some examples of specific determiners:

• the
• this
• that
• my
• your
• her and his

General Determiners

General determiners, in contrast to specific, relate to a noun in broad, non-specific terms. This indicates that they are describing any object in that noun category, not just one. Following are some instances you can check for deeper learning:

• a
• an
• other
• another
• any
• what

Grammar Rules for Determiners

• Always come before a noun
• Come before any modifiers (adjectives, for example) that are used before the noun.
• Before a singular noun, are required.
• Before plural nouns, they are optional

Order of Determiners

1. It’s possible to have a determiner that doesn’t exist: John likes dogs. People breathe air. Wine is alcohol. This is known as the “zero determiner,” and it is most commonly used with proper nouns (i.e. names), plural countable nouns, and uncountable nouns.
2. When present, all determiners appear at the BEGINNING of a noun phrase (before any adjectives)
3. You can only have ONE “main determiner” if you have one. The main determinants are: possessives: my/your/his, articles: a/an, demonstratives: this/that/these/those
   You can’t have both an article and a demonstrative if you have an article. You can’t have both a possessive and an article if you have a possessive. One article, one demonstrative, or one possessive can be used.
4. Some determiners act as “pre-determiners,” appearing before the main determiner. You can only have ONE pre-determiner: all the right people / half my weight
5. Other determiners are “post-determiners,” meaning they come after the main determiner. You can have ONE OR MORE post-determiners: next time / my first two jobs, for example.

Also Read: Editing Exercises and Worksheets For Class 6,7,8,9 and 10

Why are Determiners Used?

Determiners are necessary for good sentence construction and comprehension in English. They are useful because they help to define nouns and make sentences as clear and focused as possible. Many components of speech can function as determiners, including articles, demonstratives, quantifiers, and possessives.

Also Read: 500+ Most Commonly Used Idioms in English

Learning how to use Determiners to your advantage is certainly a great tool to have on your belt! Do you need help with your IELTS/TOEFL preparation? Contact our experts at Leverage Edu. Call 1800572000.