What are Determiners in Grammar?
Determiner: Definition, Types and Examples
Almost all English sentences contain determiners in them. Therefore, it becomes necessary for all learners of English to master the chapter of determiners. In this article, we've talked about what are determiners in grammar?. You'll learn in this post:
1. Meaning and Definition of Determiners in English
2. Types and Functions of Determiners.
3. A list of Determiners in Grammar
So without any further delay, let's jump into the topic.
What are Determiners in Grammar?
In English grammar, determiners are words that sit before nouns and give information about definiteness, position, possessiveness, quantity, number, etc. In other words, a determiner tells whether a noun is specific or nonspecific, who something is owned by, how near or far a noun is, the quantity and number of a noun.
Examples:
(a) After seeing a lion, the boy ran away.
(b) This boy loves that girl.
(c) He borrowed my pen.
(d) There's some milk in the bottle.
(e) Ten students have attended today's class.
Explanation: A, the, this, that, my, some, ten in the above-mentioned examples are determiners that give information about definiteness, position, possessiveness, quantity, number of the nouns used after them.
In example (a), the use of indefinite article a in a lion implies that the lion is not known to the listener, while the use of definite article the in the boy suggests that the boy is known to the listener.
In example (b), the use of demonstrative this in this boy and that in that girl suggest that the boy is near and that the girl is far.
In example (c), the use of possessive adjective my in my pen indicates that the pen is owned by me.
In example (d), the use of some in some milk talks of the quantity of milk the bottle contains. It answers the question how much milk the bottle contains.
In example (e), the use of ten in ten students expresses the number of students attended today's class by answering how many students have attended today's class.
Types and Functions of Determiners in Grammar
1. Articles
2. Demonstrative adjectives
3. Possessive adjectives
4. Quantifiers
5. Cardinal and ordinal numbers
6. Distributive adjectives
7. Interrogative adjectives
1. Articles: Articles in English are words used before nouns to indicate whether those nouns are specific or nonspecific. Two types of article in English include definite article (the) and indefinite article (a or an). The use of the definite article the makes a noun specific, while that of the indefinite article a or an makes it nonspecific. (learn more about articles in English.)
2. Demonstrative adjectives: Demonstrative adjectives are words that are used before nouns to show their relative positions in time or space. Two types of demonstrative adjectives in English are 1. Demonstratives for nearness (this and these) 2. Demonstratives for distance (that and those).
This is used for a singular noun which is near. These used for a plural noun which is near. That used for a singular noun which is far. Those used for a plural noun which is far.
3. Possessive adjectives: Possessive adjectives are words that are used before nouns to express possession or ownership. In simple terms, possessive adjectives are used to indicate that someone is the owner of something. In English, words like my, your, his, her, its, their, our are possessive adjectives because they are used to show ownership. (learn more about adjectives.)
4. Quantifiers: According to Cambridge Dictionary, a quantifier is "a word or a phrase that is used before a noun to show the amount of it that is being considered". Words like any, all, few, a few, little, a little, many, much, some, etc., are quantifiers in English. These words show the quantity or amount of the nouns before which they are used.
5. Cardinal and ordinal numbers: Cardinal numbers such as one, two, three and so on and first, second, third and so on are used as determiners in English as in Five students attended the class in third period. Sometimes, articles come before cardinal numbers as in thanks a million.
6. Distributive adjectives: Distributives are words that refer to a group of people or thing or to a part of it. Some of distributive adjectives include each, every, all, both, either, neither.
7. Interrogative adjectives: Interrogative words like which and what are interrogative determiners in English. Which is a specific and choice giving interrogative determiner as in Out of these five books which do you like most?. What, on the other hand, is a general interrogative determiner as in What food is your favorite?
List of Determiners
1. a, an, the
2. this, that, these, those
3. my, your, his, her, its, our, their
4. some, any, all, much, many, few, a few, little, a little
5. one, two, three and so on, first, second, third and so on
6. each, every, all, both, either, neither
7. Which and what
FAQs – What are determiners in Grammar?
What is a determiner in grammar?
Determiners are words that sit before nouns and give information about definiteness, position, possessiveness, quantity, number, etc. In other words, a determiner tells whether a noun is specific or nonspecific, who something is owned by, how near or far something is and the quantity and number of a noun.
How many types of determiners?
1. Articles
2. Demonstrative adjectives
3. Possessive adjectives
4. Quantifiers
5. Cardinal and ordinal numbers
6. Distributive adjectives
7. Interrogative adjectives
Examples of determiners in sentences
(a) After seeing a lion, the boy ran away.
(b) This boy loves that girl.
(c) He borrowed my pen.
(d) There's some milk in the bottle.
(e) Ten students have attended today's class.
No comments:
Post a Comment