ENGLISH GRAMMAR - DETERMINERS

 

DETERMINERS

Determiners are modifying words which act like adjectives. They are placed before nouns about which they imply/ inform something.

Determiners include the following types of words:

a) Articles: a, an, the

b) Demonstratives: this, these, that, those, such

c) Possessives: my, our, your, his, her, their, its, Roy’s etc.

d) Indefinite Adjective: some, any, much, many, little, few, less, etc.

e) Distribute: each, every, both, all, either, neither, one, other, another, one/

two, etc.

 

ARTICLES

There are three articles in English grammar: a, an, and the.

“A and An”  are used to discuss non-specific things, person, and place.  “A” and “An” are called indefinite articles.

Examples:

i)  I’d like a mango.

ii)  Let’s go on an adventure trip.

iii) An H is missing in word.

 

Neither one of these sentences names a specific mango or a certain adventure. Without more clarification, any banana or adventure will do.

 

“The” is called definite article. It’s the only definite article, and it is used to indicate very specific people or things:

Examples:

i)  Please give me a mango. I’d like the one with the green stem.

ii)  Let’s go on an adventure. The Wonderla sounds perfect!

 

INDEFINITE ARTICLES (A / AN)

The indefinite article (a/ an) is used with a singular, countable noun, It is not used with a plural noun, uncountable and abstract noun.

Examples:

i) A bat, a cargo, a doll, a chocolate

ii) An ice-cream, an orange, an inkpot, an umbrella, an ostrich, an egg

iii) Special cases: an hour, an honest man, a university, a European, a one-rupee note, etc

 

‘A’ is used before the nouns beginning with a consonant sound.

Examples:

i) A dog barked at a vendor.

ii) She joins a university last week.

iii) A monkey snatched his parcel.

iv) A European met at bus terminal.

 

 ‘An’ is used before the nouns beginning with a vowel sound (a, e, i, o, u)

Examples:

i) You should solve all problems in an hour.

ii) He is an honest person.

iii) An owl was caught by him.

iv) An MBA student scored out of out marks in his final examination.

 

Uses of indefinite articles:

1) Indefinite articles are used before a singular countable noun, mentioned for the first time and referring to no one in particular:

i) I saw a child playing PUBG.

ii) She carries an ostrich with her.

iii) He catches a bird in the garden.

 

2) Indefinite articles are used before a singular countable noun which stands for a group or class or persons or things:

i) A man has to work to live (all men have to work to live)

ii) A tiger needs to protect (all tigers need to protect)

 

3) Indefinite articles are used in certain expressions of quantity/ number:

i) A lot of people were in mall.

ii) A dozen oranges were bought.

 

4) Indefinite articles are used in expressions of speed, ratio and price:

i) The bike mileage is thirty kilometers a litre.

ii) I see Tina twice a day.

iii) He sold tomatoes for Rs. 10 a kilo.

DEFINITE ARTICLE ‘THE’

a)    The definite article ‘The’ is used before the names of rivers, canals, seas, islands, mountains, deserts, regions, plural, names of countries:

i) The Ganga is sacred river of India.

ii) The Himalayas are so beautiful.

iii) The U.S.A.  plays very vital role in World Bank growth. 

 

b)    The definite article ‘The’ is used before unique things or planets as:

i) The earth has its own satellite.

ii) The sun generates lot of energy.

iii) The moon rotates around the earth.

 

c)     The definite article ‘The’ is used before the names of sacred and well-known books, magazines, newspapers etc:

i) The Bible is holy book of Christians.

ii) The Geeta teaches us to do our duty correctly.

iii) The Quran guides us to follow right path.

iv) The Times of India newspaper is popular in North India.

 

d)    The definite article ‘The’ is used before well-known ships, buildings, trains, historical events:

i) The Garib Ratha express connects Karnataka to Rajasthan.  

ii) The Gol Gumbaz has world’s second largest dome.

iii) We travelled to Mumbai to see the India Gate.

 

e)     The definite article ‘The’ is used before superlatives and ordinals(first, second) used as adjectives:

i) Carl is the happiest man in our colony.

ii) A car met the worst accident yesterday by bypass.

iii) Everyone receives salary on the first day of the month.

 

f)      The definite article ‘The’ is used before the singular noun representing a class of things or animals:

i)  The elephant is a huge animal.

ii) The car is no longer a luxury.

 

g)    The definite article ‘The’ is used before an adjective to denote the whole class:

i) The rich are modernists. (All rich people)

ii) Do not help the poor. (All poor people)

 

h)    The definite article ‘The’ is used before the names of races, groups and communities:

i) The Christians celebrate Christmas on 25^th December.

ii) The Indians are rich in hospitality.

 

i)       The definite article ‘The’ is used before a surname to refer to the family: (Mr. & Mrs. & their children)

i) The Kapoors inaugurated a new film studio.

ii) The Ambanis welcomed everyone to their firm.

 

j)      The definite article ‘The’ is used before the names consisting of a noun + of + a noun:

i) The Bay of Bengal water is getting polluted.

k)    The definite article ‘The’ is used before a noun that has already been mentioned:

i) I saw a girl. The girl was carrying a gun.

ii) A boy was in gym. The boy was so strong to lift 150 pounds barrel.

 

l)       The definite article ‘The’ is used before a noun made definite with a phrase/clause:

i) Camel is the ship of desert.

ii) The boy in the concert was arrogant.

 

m) The definite article ‘The’ is used before a noun denoting a known person or thing:

i) The car looks beautiful (the car in showroom)

ii) Pass the salt, please. (the salt on the table)

 

n)    The definite article ‘The’ is used before parallel comparatives:

i) The higher you go oxygen level will decrease.

ii) That boy was the more ferocious of the two.

 

OMISSION OF ARTICLES

i) A / an are not used before plural nouns:

Examples: toys, girls, doctors, tables, etc.

 

ii) A / an are not used before uncountable nouns:

Examples: oil, milk, air, water, etc.

 

iii) A / an/ the are not used before proper names (nouns):

Examples: Anna, Dinesh, India, Goa, etc.

 

iv) A / an are not used before the names of metals:

Examples: silver, platinum, gold, etc.

 

v) A / an/ the are not used before any countable noun when it is preceded by:

Examples: each, any, another, every, either, some, etc.

 

vi) A / an are not used when we refer to a public institution or place named after some particular person or place.

Examples: Oxford University, Taj Hotel

 

vii) A / an are not used in certain idiomatic phrases.

 

viii) A / an are not used when a noun denotes, rank, occupation, station, etc.

 

ix) A/ an/ the are not used before the names of material nouns used in a general sense.

Examples:

i) Wheat flour is used to make Chapatis.

ii) Smoking is injurious to health.

 

x) A/ an / the are not used before the names of abstract nouns used in a general sense.

Example: Honest is the best policy.

 

xi) A/ an/ the are not used before the names of languages and games.

Examples:

i) English is spoken almost in all countries.

ii) Football is good game for improving stamina.

 

xii) A/ an/ the are not used before the names of diseases.

Examples:

i) Corona has broken nerve of everyone. 

ii) She is suffering from flu.

 

xiii) A/ an/ the are not used before the names of flowers, colours in general sense.

Examples:

i) Blue is my favourite colour.

ii) Marigold has a sweet fragrance.

 

xiv) A/ an/ the are not used before the names of nature, goddesses, gods.

DEMONSTRATIVES

Demonstratives are words, which indicate some noun: this/ these, that/ those, such.

Note: This and that are used before singular nouns. These and those are used before plural nouns.

 

This/ These show nearness:

i) This is my bike.

ii) This table is nice.

iii) These are the children who played well in chess competition.

iv) These boys are ready to run.

v) This bag is mine.

 

That/ Those indicate distance:

i) Those are some fresh oranges in the basket.

ii) Get that boy out of the class.

iii) Those fields are not mine.

iv) Is that boy arrogant?

v) Those were good mangoes.

 

Such

i) Such an idea cannot be praised.

ii) Such people are rewarded for their loyalty.

 

POSSESSIVES

Possessive (my, our, your, his, her, their, its) are also determiners. They are used before singular or plural nouns:

Examples:

i) Sam is her good brother.

ii) She is proud of her beauty.

iii) They are proud of their children.

iv) You should respect your elders.

v) I love my country.

vi) He takes care of his parents.

 

Special Note:

(a) The possessives: mine, ours, yours, his, hers, theirs are called possessive pronouns. Don’t use any noun after possessive pronouns.

Examples:

i) This book is mine.

ii) That computer is yours.

 

(b) The possessives: my, our, your, his, her, their, are called possessive adjectives. They are used before a noun:

Examples:

i) This is my laptop.

ii) That is your book.

INDEFINITE ADJECTIVES

Indefinite adjectives are some, any, much, many, little, few, less, some/ any.

Some and any are used to denote a certain number or amount. They are used with plural or uncountable nouns.

Some is used {in affirmative sentences, in questions where yes is expected as answer, in offers and requests}:

Examples:

i) I have some doubts about your decision.

ii) Would you have some tea?

 

Any is used {in negative sentences (never, hardly, scarcely, rarely, fail, deny) in questions where no is expected as answer}:

Examples:

i) He hasn’t got any house.

ii) He has hardly any money to spare.

 

Some is used before a singular, countable noun (an unknown person/ thing):

Example: Some idiot knocked at her door at 5 in the morning.

 

Any may mean all (of them) and no one is particular.

Example: Any of them could answer the question.

 

Little/ a little/ the little are used with uncountable nouns. Few/ a few/ the few are used with plural nouns.

Little and few indicates lack of something:

Examples:

We had little money left (almost no money).

He had few friends and felt lonely (almost no friend).

 

A little/ A few denotes a small amount or number.

Examples:

 I have a little work to do. Wait for half an hour.

A few of her songs are popular.

 

The little/ the few is followed by a relative clause in which that is often omitted:

Examples:

The little time (that) we had was spent in shopping.

The few girls who came to see the match soon went away.

 

Much/ many gives the idea of ‘a lot of’. Much is used with uncountable nouns and many with plural nouns:

Examples:

i) Much money is needed for the project.

ii) Many people were present in the hall.

DISTRIBUTE

Distribute are the words which convey a sense of distribution.

(Each, every, both, all, either, neither, one, another, other, one/two, etc)

 

Each/ every: used with singular countable nouns, each or every indicates all persons or things considered individually. Each is a pronoun and adjective. Every is an adjective.

Examples:

i) Each ticket costs Rs. 10. Or Every ticket costs Rs.10

ii) Each did his work well. (Every cannot be used here)

Note: each and every take a singular verb.

 

Both: Both conveys the sense of ‘one and other’ and takes a plural verb. It can be used alone, or with a noun, or with of + objective pronoun, or after a personal pronoun.

Examples:

i) Both did it well.

ii) Both girls were pretty.

iii) Both of us belong to Amritsar.

iv) We both went to see him.

 

‘Both’ indicates a combination of two nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc.

Examples:

i) He is both a poet and painter.

ii) Subash Gahi both produces and directs films.

 

All: All indicates all the people or things considered as a group, and the whole of something:

Examples:

i) Have you eaten all the apples?

ii) All the town was present to see the show.

 

Either, neither: Either means ‘one of the two’ whereas neither means ‘not one and not the other’. Either can be followed by or, and neither by nor. Both these determiners take singular verb:

Examples:

i) Either of these two tables will do.

ii) You can either write or phone to get a copy.

iii) He is either French or Swiss.

iv) Neither of them was present in the class.

v) Neither the students nor the teachers were present.