Chapter Four: Postdeterminers

Chapter Four
Postdeterminers
3. Postdeterminers
- Postdeterminer is one types of premodifications.
- Postdeterminers follow determiners but precedes adjectives in the premodification
structure.
- Postdeterminers Include: numerals and quantifiers.
Numerals
They are numbers (cardinal, and ordinal) and items (general ordinal)
Cardinals are numbers : one ,two three ,four, hundred, thousand…etc.
One occurs with singular count nouns, and the other cardinal numerals (two, three,
four, etc) co-occur with plural count nouns:
- The two blue cars belong to me.
The two blue cars is NP: the (Det./article), two (Postdet.cardinal numeral), blue
(adjective), cars(head/ plural count n. )
- He has one sister and three brothers.

One sister and three brothers is a NP : one (postderterminer/cardinal numeral), sister
(head/ singular count n.) and(conjunction) three (postderterminer/cardinal numeral),
brothers (head/plural count n. )
- In many contexts ,one may be regarded as a stressed form of the indefinite article
and may some times replace it.
I would like one/ a photocopy of this article.
Another has two functions, it can be unstressed form of one other :
- I don’t like this room, I ‘d prefer another one .
Or it has the meaning of “further”, additional, second:
- We need another two rooms for the meeting .
- We need two more rooms or two different rooms
2. Quantifiers
A quantifier is a word or phrase which is used before a noun to indicate the amount
or quantity. Quantifier is a second type of postdeteminers, it occurs before adjective
and after determiners.
Quantifiers as postdeterminers consists of three classes :
A. Closed –system quantifiers
B. Open-class quantifiers
C. Phrasal quantifiers
A. Closed –system quantifiers

There are two small groups of closed-system quantifiers which function as
postdeterminers: many, (a)few, and several can co-occur only with plural count
nouns:
- I know many / a few people in Boston.
- The few words he spoke were well chosen.
2. much, (a)little co –occur with only non-count nouns.
- I have eaten too much / a little of the food .
- There hasn’t been much good weather recently.
Many (a large number ), a few (a small number) while Much (a large amount) ,a little
(a small amount )
- Many ( with the comparative more, most), few (fewer, fewest), little(less, least).
Several usually occurs with zero article.
Few and little have negative and positive implication according to indefinite article is
used. A few and a little have a positive implication. They mean some, though not many
(much).
- He took a few biscuits.
- He took a little butter.
Little and few have a negative implication: Few has the meaning 'not many', Little has
the meaning, 'not much’ :
- He took little butter.
- He took few biscuits.
- Few people would agree with you.
Note you should differentiate between little as quantifier and as adjective:

A little bird was singing . Here a little is an adjective .
B. Ordinals and general ordinals
Ordinals are numbers. They are used when we put things in a sequence or order.
First 1st, second 2nd, third 3rd, fourth 4th, fifth 5th, etc.) They have a one-for one
relation with the cardinals: first/one, second/two, third/three, fourth/ four…etc.
- Ordinal numeral first co-occur only with singular count n.
- Ordinal numerals second, third, fourth ,fifth ,sixth ..etc. occur only with plural count
n. Ordinals co-occur with count nouns and usually precede any cardinal numbers in
the NP, i.e. their position before cardinal numbers :
- The first three planes were American.
The first three planes is a NP: the (Det./article), first (Postdet./ordinal numerals),
three (postdet./cardinal numerals) ,planes (head/ plural count n.)
C. General ordinals
The ‘general ordinals’ include items like: next, last, another, other, additional, and
further. They resembles ordinals grammatically and semantically .
The general ordinals may precede or follow cardinals with a differences of meaning
- His last two books were novels.
Would mean that his last and before the last books were novels
- His two last books were novels.
Would mean the last books in each of his two novels.
B. Open –class quantifiers
Both of count noun and non-count noun can enter partitive constructions,i.e.,
constructions denoting a part of a whole such as constructions express both quality
partitions( a kind of paper) and quantity (a piece of paper).
There are a large group of phrasal quantifiers which function semantically like closed-
class quantifiers , but most of which consists of a noun of quantity (lot, deal, amount,
etc.) followed by of and often preceded by the indefinite article ).
Plenty of, a lot of, lots of can co-occur with non–count noun and plural count noun:
- The room contained plenty of/a lot of/ lost of students
furniture
plenty of students is NP: plenty of (postdet./quantifier) students(head/ plural count n.)
a lot of furniture is a NP: a lot of (Postdet. quantifier), furniture (head/ non count n.)
A + great deal of/ good deal of/ large quantity of/ small amount of are quantifying only
non-count nouns:
- The room contained a great deal of money.
a good deal of
- The room contained a large quantity of money.

a small amount of
large quantity of money is a NP : a large quantity of (postdet./ quantifier), money
(head/non-count n.)
A + great / large / good are quantifying plural count nouns:

- The room contained a great/good/large number of students.
Phrasal Quantifiers
The following phrasal quantifiers known as general partitive expressions can be used
as postdeterminers with non-count nouns to be countable.
It includes : general partitives, typical partitives, and measures.
1. General partitives: singular general partitives plural general partitives

a piece of cake two pieces of cake
a bit of chalk some bits of chalk
an item of news several items of news
The most widely partitive expression is a piece of ,which can combined with concrete
and abstract nouns : a piece of coal/ land paper
a piece of information/ research/ work
Bit generally implies a small amount : a bit of rice/news/ fun/research

Item is not generally used with concrete nouns: * an item of oil /cake
But with abstract nouns :an item of business/ news /information
2. Typical partitives
Typical partitives postdeterminers consider more restricted and descriptive expressions which form
expressions with specific concrete non-count nouns:
a slice of cake / a few loaves of bread …..(see p. 67)
Measures
The measure partitives relate to precise quantities denoting length, area, volume, and weight .
Length: a foot of copper wire
a mile of cable
Area: an acre / a hectare of land
Volume: a liter of wine , a pint of milk,
Weight: a kilo of apples, a pound of butter/ a spoonful of medicine
Q pick up the noun phrases and then analyze into their elements:
1. A large number of people were here this night.

2. Probably two thirds of the people who live here now are not natives
3. Every tenth person will be chosen.
4. He just made his second big mistake.
5. The program has a few bugs.
6. No less than fifty people were killed in the accident.
7. John get a great deal of sympathy but little help.
8. He took a pound of butter.
9. Many hands make light work.

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Chapter Four

- He has one sister and three brothers.

A. Closed –system quantifiers

Note you should differentiate between little as quantifier and as adjective:

- The room contained a large quantity of money.

A + great / large / good are quantifying plural count nouns:

1. General partitives: singular general partitives plural general partitives

Bit generally implies a small amount : a bit of rice/news/ fun/research

1. A large number of people were here this night.

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