In English, determiners are a special type of word that can be used before a nounNo definition set for nounLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.. They help you pick out which noun or which nouns you are talking about in the context of a conversation.
Here are some types of words that are or can be determiners in English:
the, a, anmy, your, his, her, its, our, their Janice’s, the purple house’s,...that, this, these, thoseevery, each, most, some,...which, whose, whatone, six, thirty-two,...
*These words are not always determiners
Determiners are special for four reasons:
You can only use one determiner per noun:
A singularNo definition set for singularLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. count nounNo definition set for count nounLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. in English will almost always have a determiner
✅I saw a / that / some / my / one / which cow
The determiner always comes before all the descriptive adjectives:
Determiners always come before the noun. They cannot follow a linking verb like adjectives do:
Definite vs. indefinite determiners in English
Determiners are usually the way that we show whether a noun in English is definite or indefinite. (Check out the post on articles in English for a review of these terms!)
Definite determiners → These pick out one specific noun or group that is familiar to your audience. These include:
The definite article (the)
Demonstrative adjectives (this, that, these, those)
Possessive adjectives (my, your, her,...)
Possessive nouns (e.g. John’s)
The interrogative adjectives whose and which
Indefinite determiners → These introduce a new noun into the discussion or refer to a noun in general. They include:
The indefinite article (a / an)
Quantifying adjectives (some, every, each, many,...)
Cardinal numbers (one, seven, 56,...)
The interrogative adjective what
You can use a definite determiner before a number or (rarely) a quantity adjective to make them definite instead:
I grabbed one shirt. → indefinite (any one shirt)
I grabbed the one shirt that she wanted. → definite (one specific shirt)
In this use, the number is no longer acting as a determiner, but is more like an adjective.
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