Determiners are some words that are used before nouns.
Determiners include these types:
- Articles: a/an/the
- Demonstratives: this/that/these/those
- Numbers: one/two/first/second etc.
- Possessives: my/mine/your etc.
- Quantifiers: a little/a few/some etc.
Table of Contents
Determiners: Articles
Take a look at these examples:
He has a phone.
They are taking a bus.
She has an apple.
I’m going to buy an umbrella.
Do you want to eat an orange or a banana?
Firefighters generally work very hard.
The firefighters at the fire station are tired.
A: used for one thing or person.
I don’t have a laptop.
She bought a new car.
I have a question.
An: used for one thing or person; it has the same meaning as A, but used before vowels (a,e,i,o,u).
Make an example, please.
I want an apricot.
She has an English class for an hour.
The: it’s sometimes difficult for some students whether to use “the” or “a/an”.
We use “the” to show that the reader or listener knows which people or thing we are talking about. (it’s clear which thing or person we mean). Take a look at these examples you will understand them better:
Anna is a student.
Anna is the genius student in our class.
It’s difficult for elderly people to stand for a long time. (all the elderly people)
The elderly people that are on the bus can’t stand more, they need to sit down. (the elderly people that are in front of us)
Is there a theater near here? (Any theater, not the specific one)
I’m going to the theater. (the reader or the listener knows which theater)
Determiners: Demonstratives
We use this/that/these/those with a noun.
This table (this table here)
That chair (that chair there)
These tables (these tables here)
Those chairs (those chairs there)
Or we can use them without a noun which is normally used as pronouns and only refer to things:
This is a nice car but I don’t like the color.
The difference: We use this/these for things and people nearby, “this” for singular nouns, and “these” for plurals.
Do you like this dress? Yes, I do.
She doesn’t like these shoes.
And we use that/those for things and people who aren’t close to us. “That” for singulars and “those” for plurals.
My wife needs that phone.
I bought those books.
Determiners: Numbers
We use both ordinal and cardinal numbers before a noun.
I have 15 cookies.
She lives on the third floor.
My husband has four hundred twenty unread messages.
Determiners: Possessives
What are possessives? Possessives (my, your, his, etc) are determiners that are used at the beginning of a noun phrase.
My hands are clean.
Her parents live in New York.
Their son is very successful.
Pay attention:
| I: my | I like my car. |
| You: your | You like your car. |
| She: her | She likes her car. |
| He: his | He likes his car. |
| We: our | We like our car. |
| They: their | They like their car. |
| It: its | Paris: it | It is famous for its tower. |
Determiners: Quantifiers
(a) little, (a) few, a lot of, lots of, much, many, some, and any are determiners that are used for countable and uncountable nouns.
We use (a) little with singular (mostly uncountable) words and (a) few with plurals.
Few politicians are honest.
She has little hope.
I have a little meat and a few eggs.
*After (a) little and (a) few we can use: of
We have (a) little of and (a) few of before a pronoun or a determiner. (the/a/an/my/that)
Take a look at these examples:
I’d like to drink a little tea.
I’d like to drink a little of that tea.
Only a few people are interested in politics.
Only a few of the people are interested in politics.
Much/ Many: what is the difference?
Much is used with singular (uncountable) nouns and many with plurals.
She hasn’t got much time.
I have a good relationship with many of my classmates.
Without of: much/many+noun
We only use “of” after much/many when there is another determiner.
I don’t eat much breakfast. (not: I don’t eat much of breakfast).
There are many large trees in this garden. (not: there are many of large trees in this garden).
Actually, if we want to use “of” after much and many, we should have a determiner (a/an/the/my/this, etc) and a noun too.
Much/Many of + deternimer + noun
Last year, I traveled around the world but I couldn’t see many of a country’s places.
How much of the time left?
A lot of, lots of:
These two are rather informal which in a formal style we mostly use much, many, a large number of, a great deal of, etc.
“A lot of” and “lots of” both are used mostly before singular uncountable and plural nouns and even before pronouns.
Note: when “a lot of” is used before a plural subject, the verb is plural. But when “lots of” is used before a singular subject, the verb is singular.
A lot of time is needed to learn English. (not: a lot of time are needed ….)
Lots of us think it’s time to emigrate.
Some and any:
Indefinite quantities and numbers both are used to refer to an indefinite number or quantity whenever it’s not important, clear, or easy to sat the exact amount of something.
I really need to buy some vegetables.
Is there any milk in the refrigerator?
The difference:” Some” is most common in affirmative statements and any in questions and negatives.
I want some new clothes. (not: I want any new clothes).
Have you got any new clothes?
I haven’t got any new clothes.
Intermediate points
In this part, we are going to learn some intermediate points about determiners in English. So if you are looking for some more points about this topic, just keep reading.
Articles: A/An
Both are used to say what a person or thing is.
Volleyball is a game.
Paris is a city in France.
Lion is an animal.
A/An are also for jobs:
What do you want to be when you grow up? I want to be a pilot when I grow up.
What does your father do?
He’s an actor.
When a/an can not be omitted? A/An can’t be omitted after: prepositions, negative expressions, and fractions.
Prepositions: You can’t leave here without an umbrella. (not: without umbrella).
Negative expressions: I haven’t bought a pencil, can I borrow yours? (Not: I haven’t bought pencil).
After fractions: Two_ quarters of a euro. (not: two_quarters of euro).
The: We use “the” when we are talking about a group or a class with a limited number of members.
American universities. (General)
The American university is attracting all genius students from all around the world. (We know which university.)
Indian actors. (General)
The Indian actor was playing well in his last movie. (We know which actor.)
A/An vs The: We use “the” instead of “a/an” when both of us know which people or thing I mean.
Open a door. (One of the several doors here)
Open the door. (We know which door.)
Demonstratives:
Time: We use this/these for some actions and events which are ongoing or just about to start.
Listen to this music, it’s perfect.
These messages are from the thieves.
We use that/those for actions and events which just finished or more distant in the past.
That concert was amazing, I liked the band.
And “that” can also refer to an event that is going to end.
What are you doing these days? Actually, I’m studying hard for my university, that’s all.
Do you want other things too? No, that’s all. Thanks.
Acceptance and rejection: We sometimes use “that/those” to show rejection and dislike and “this/these” for showing interest.
Oh, can you tell me about this new house that you just moved?
You know what, I’m not very comfortable with that girl in our class.
On the telephone:
On the telephone, we use “this” to identify ourselves and “that” to show the other person’s identity.
Hi David, this is Sara.
Is that Nicole?
Possessives:
One’s and whose: possessive determiners and pronouns.
It’s impossible to judge one’s life without knowing anything, you can’t judge the book by its cover.
I have a friend whose father lives in London.
Don’t use with other determiners:
My, your, his, her, etc can not be used with other determiners like a/an, the, this, that, etc.
I’m looking for my bag. (Not: I’m looking for a/an/the my bag.)
*We don’t use a singular noun after a plural possessive.
My father told us to put our phones away. (Not: My father told us to put our phones away.)
Quantifiers:
Little and few without “a”:
There is a difference between little and a little, and between few and a few.
Without “a” little and few usually have negative meanings.
Few people can speak french in this country.
This phone has really little power, I shouldn’t bought it. (Both mean not as much/many as we expected.)
And also “little” and “few” (with no article) are rather formal which in an informal language we mostly use: only a few/ a little.
Only a few people can speak french in this country.
This phone got very little power, I shouldn’t bought it.
Much/Many: Much/Many without a noun: We can use much/many alone, only if the meaning is clear.
Did you find any rooms? Yeah, so many.
Note: “many” itself doesn’t mean “many people”.
Many people think it’s time to emigrate. (more natural than many think.)
Not used in affirmative clauses:
In an informal style, we mostly use “much” and “many” in questions and negative clauses, in affirmative clauses are unusual. In affirmative clauses, We use other expressions like: plenty, lots of, etc instead.
How much money do you earn per month? Actually, plenty. (Not: actually, much)
I don’t know many of my men classmates, but I know lots of my women classmates.
A lot of/ lots of:
Use it without nouns: We can use them without nouns only if the meaning is clear.
How much did this car cost? A lot, you can’t imagine.
Some/Any:
How to use some in questions? We can use some in questions as an offer or request only when we expect people to answer “Yes” or to encourage them to answer”Yes”.
Have you bought some milk? I told you last night.
Do you have some books that I can read?
How to use “any” in affirmative clauses? We can use any in an affirmative clause only when after”any” we’ve got a word that has a negative meaning.
I forgot to bring any water.
I hardly ever drink any tea.
Advanced points:
Now in this part we are going to talk about advanced poinst about determiners in English.
A/An: When a/an are not used? With adjectives alone:
That’s a good idea. (Not: that’s a good)
With possessives:
This is my car. (Not: this is a my car)
instead, you can use this structure:
A … of mine/yours etc.
This is a car of mine.
With uncountable nouns: because a/an have the same meaning as one, so they can not be used with uncountable nouns.
He has some information that can help us. (Not: He has an information …)
Note: Never use a/an with the words English and Weather.
Tomorrow we are going to have nice weather.
He knows how to speak English fluently.
The: Used to refer to the physical environment. (The reader and the listener know which place or general environment we are talking about.)
I went to the jungle, but my parents preferred the sea.
“The” is also used to talk about a common experience in people’s lives. (Not a person or thing that we know)
I always sing in the bathroom.
“The” is also used when we don’t know exactly which person or thing we are talking about. The time that there is no need to be more definite.
David is the youngest employee here. (Which there would exist other young employees too.)
He sat at the side of the plane. (Which there’s no need to know exactly which side of the plane.)
Demonstratives:
That, Those = One, Ones
Formally, “that” and “those” are used to mean the one or the ones. Look at the following examples:
Those who can stay, those who can’t leave sooner.
The appearance of this girl is better than that on the top floor.
This, That = So
In an informal style, “this” and “that” are used with adverbs and adjectives and have the same meaning as “so”.
I understood that it was going to be this surprising.
If you are that rich, why don’t you live in a better apartment?
Other usages: One of the special usages of “this” (by no demonstrative meaning) is for storytelling.
Once upon a time, there was this old woman in the village ….
Possessives: Use articles instead of possessives:
We sometimes use articles instead of possessives whenever we’re talking about pains, injuries, or other things that happened to part of people’s body, just whenever in prepositional phrases which refer to the subject or object not in other cases.
He hit his wife on the head.
I got pain in the stomach.
Its, whose: Do not confuse “its” and “whose” with “it’s” and “who’s” because “it’s” and “who’s” are contractions of “it is” or “it has” and “who is” or “who has”.
I think the bird wants to fly, it’s just opened its wings.
Whose pen is this?
Who’s working here?
Quantifiers:
(A) little and (A) few: Use (a) little and (a) few alone, only when the meaning of the sentence is clear.
Do you want more rice? Yeah, just a little. It was really delicious.
(A) little and (A) few are determiners that are used before nouns, but you can not use them after “be”.
He’s got little patience. (Not: He’s patience was little.)
Only (a) little with adverbs and adjectives:
(A) little can be used for comparatives:
My new car is a little faster than the old one.
Much/Many:
How to use them in affirmative clauses?
In affirmative clauses we can use them like “so much/many”, “as much/many”, and “too much/many” which are more natural.
Try as much as you can to achieve your goals.
Much as an adverb: In questions and negative clauses, we can use much as an adverb.
Do you study much this term? Actually, I don’t study much these days.
We can also use “much” as a comparative in affirmative clauses as well as questions and negatives.
He’s much younger than me.
She doesn’t walk much faster than you.
A lot of/ lots of: Can be used as adverbs: We can use “a lot of” and “a great deal of” as adverbs.
On our vacation, we enjoyed ourselves a lot. (Not: lots)
He seems to change his mind about his marriage a great deal.
Some/any:
If_clauses: we can use both some and any in if_clauses.
If you want any bread, tell me.
And we sometimes use “any” to suggest:
(If there is/are any)
Any bags left here will be returned to their owners. (If there are any bags left …)
In this article, we learned one of the most important and confusing grammar in English. I hope it’s useful for you. If you have any questions, just leave a comment.
You can also check out the English Grammar page to read other grammatical articles.