Determiners are used with nouns to clarify the noun.

The type of determiner used depends on the type of noun.

 Singular Nouns - always needs a determiner

 Plural Nouns - the determiner is optional
 Uncountable Nouns - the determiner is also optional

There are about 50 different determiners in the English language

they include:

 Articles - a, an, the

 Demonstratives - this, that, these, those, which etc.
 Possessive Determiners - my, your, our, their, his, hers, whose, my friend's, our
friends', etc.
 Quantifiers - few, a few, many, much, each, every, some, any etc.
 Numbers - one, two, three, twenty, forty
 Ordinals - first, second, 1st 2nd, 3rd, last, next, etc.

1. Home

2. English Grammar

3. English Determiners

4. Types of Determiners

1
What Is a Determiner?
What is a determiner? Simply put, in English, a determiner is a word that introduces a noun. It always
comes before a noun, not after, and it also comes before any other adjectives used to describe the noun.
Determiners are required before a singular noun but are optional when it comes to introducing plural nouns.
For example, consider the placement and usage of the common determiner the in the sentences below:
 The bunny went home.
 I ate the chocolate cookie for dessert.
 Metal cans are recyclable.
 The metal cans are recyclable.


In every example, the determiner is placed before the noun or noun phrase, regardless of whether the noun in the
subject or predicate. In the first example, it comes directly before the noun, but in the second example, it comes before
the adjective ("chocolate") that describes the noun ("cookie").
Note also that in the third example there is no determiner, as determiners are optional for plural nouns and noun
phrases. When you want to discuss the noun in general (i.e., all metal cans), you don't need a determiner for plural
nouns. However, the fourth example shows that you may add a determiner to refer to specific nouns (i.e., the metal
cans right here).
There are four different types of determiners in English: articles, demonstratives, quantifiers, and possessives.

Articles
Articles are among the most common of the determiners. There are three singular articles: a, an,
and the. Articles specify (or determine) which noun the speaker is referring to. A and an are indefinite
articles and are used when you are talking about a general version of the noun. For example:
 A dog is a good pet.
 An ostrich would beat a chicken in a race.
In these examples, the sentence is talking about dogs or ostriches in general, meaning any dog. When
your meaning is general, use an indefinite article. Note that a is used before words that begin with
consonants while an is used before words beginning with vowels.
On the other hand, the is a definite article, meaning the speaker is referring to a specific noun. For
example:
 We went to the best restaurant in town.
 The dog is barking too loudly.
Here the speaker is referring to a particular dog and a particular restaurant. It's not a general category, but
only one animal or place that's important. When your meaning is specific, use a definite article.

Demonstratives
Demonstrative pronouns are also used as determiners in English. There are four of them: this, that,
these and those. Demonstratives are used in a situation in which the speaker can point to the item they
mean, making them even more specific than a definite article. For example:
 Do you want this piece of chicken?
 I don't want to go to that movie.
 These black raspberries are sour.
 He wanted those boys to go away.
This and these refer to items nearby; that and those refer to items far away. Note also that this and that are
singular while these and those are plural.

2
Quantifiers
Quantifiers are determiners that indicate how much or how little of the noun is being discussed. They
include words such as all, few and many. For example:
 He took all the books.
 She liked all desserts equally.
 Few children like lima beans, so the cafeteria stopped serving them.
 Many kittens are taught to hunt by their mothers.
Note that all can be used with other determiners to specify which particular items are meant (i.e. all the
books in this pile). In this case, the quantifier always comes before the article or demonstrative. It's also
possible to use all alone to refer to items generally, as in the second example.

Possessives
When referring to a noun that belongs to someone or something, you can use possessive pronouns to
show ownership. Possessive pronouns include my, your, his, her, its, our, and their. For example:
 Where is your car?
 The dog growled and showed its teeth.
 My best friend is a cat.
 Which one is his house?
 Honesty is her best quality.
 The tree shed its leaves.
 It's our secret recipe.
As always, the determiner comes before the noun and any modifying adjectives. In English, you can use
the same possessive whether the noun it references is singular or plural.

Using Determiners Correctly

How should you choose which determiner to use? For native English speakers, determining which determiner to use is
second nature, since determiners are so often used in front of nouns.
For people learning English as a second language, it's helpful to remember a few rules:
 Determiners always come first in the noun phrase.
 Determiners are required with singular nouns.
 To speak about a singular noun generally, use an indefinite article (a or an).
 To speak about a plural noun generally, do not use a determiner.
 To speak about a singular noun specifically, use a definite article, demonstrative pronoun, possessive pronoun or
quantifier.
 To speak about a plural noun specifically, use a definite article, demonstrative pronoun, possessive pronoun or
quantifier.
Once you learn the dictionary definition of each determiner as you study English vocabulary, it becomes
easy to select the determiner that best expresses your meaning, whether you want to show ownership,
quantity or relative location.

Determiners
3
Determiners are words that introduce nouns. These are the different types:

 Articles: a, an, 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

The grammar rules for determiners are that they:

 Always come before a noun

 Come before any modifiers (e.g. adjectives) used before the noun
 Are required before a singular noun
 Are optional before plural nouns

Here are some examples of determiners used with the noun 'house':

Here are some examples of determiners used with the noun 'house':

Determiners are commonly used as part of noun phrases, which will also include a modifier (an
adjective, another noun, a possessive form, or an adverb-adjective combination).

Here are some examples of noun phrases that consist of:

4
  determiner + modifier + noun

Examples of Determiners
Here are some more examples of determiners with nouns in sentences. The determiner is in red and
the noun is in bold. Note the modifiers separating them in certain cases:

Articles

Articles can be definite articles (the) or indefinite (a or an). The is used when the speaker thinks that
the listener already knows what is being referred to. Otherwise a (before consonants) or an (before
vowels) is used.

There are many rules though around articles which need to be studied carefully.

 She took a significant amount of time to learn English

 I bought a nice present for my uncle
 There's an otter over there
 The beaches in Goa are beautiful
 I'll give you an example of the essay question

Demonstratives

5
Demonstrative determiners are used to identify or point to a
particular person, event, or object. This and that are
singular. These and those are plural.

 I like this kind of biscuit

 Why don't you buy that book instead of this one?
 Those children outside are being too noisy for this time of
night
 I'll take these pills for my back ache later

Possessive Adjectives

Possessive adjective determiners function as adjectives rather

than pronouns. As they are adjectives, they appear before the
noun that they are modifying.

 Do you like my new dress?

 I prefer my uniform to yours (i.e. your uniform)
 Take your phone out of your pocket
 I really respect her controversial views on abortion
 His old motorbike is a classic
 Let's let them use our house for their wedding reception
 The dog has eaten its food

Quantifiers

Quantifiers provide approximate or specific answers to the

questions "How many?" and "How much?"

 I only take a little bit of milk with my tea

 Quite a few people should be coming to the party
 I didn't take many holidays last year
 I haven't brought much money with me
 Do you think a lot of people believe what he says?
 Most students work hard to pass their exams
 Have you got any proof that he committed the crime?
 It takes some effort for me to do exercise
6
  Do we have enough rice to last the week?

Numbers

Numbers are either cardinal (one, two, three, etc.), which are
adjectives referring to quantity, or ordinal (first, second, third,
etc.) referring to distribution.

 Two cars are enough for most families

 There are about twenty-five people in my office
 It's my fortieth birthday next week
 That is the second time you've done that!

Distributives

Distributive determiners are used to refer to a group or

individual members of the group. They reveal more about how
people or things are distributed, shared, or divided.

 Both countries need to discuss the issues and find a

solution
 All pet dogs need plenty of attention
 Half the people decided not to vote
 Neither house is suitable for our needs
 We can eat at either 7pm or 8pm

Interrogatives

Interrogatives are used to ask questions. Which as a

determiner is used to ask about a specific group of people or
things.
What as a determiner is used when we are asking
a general question. Whose is used to ask a question about
possession.

7
 Which restaurant did you like best?
 What time will you come?
 Whose pencil is this?