DETERMINERS

Determiners are words placed in front of a noun to make it clear what the noun refers to.

1. Indefinite articles : a, an
2. Definite article : the
3. Demonstratives: this, that, these, those
4. Pronouns and possessive determiners : my, your, his, her,
its, our, their
5. Quantifiers : a few, a little, much, many, a lot of, most,
some, any, enough
6. Numbers : one, ten, thirty, fifth, twentieth
7. Distributives : all, both, half, either, neither, each, every
8. Difference words : other, another
9. Comparative: more, less, fewer
 1. Indefinite Articles – A, An
 We use a when the next word starts with a consonant, or before
words starting in u and eu when they sound like you.
 Use an when the next word starts with a vowel (a,e,i,o,u) or with a
silent h.
Examples:
 a boy
 an apple
 a car
 a helicopter
 an elephant /a big elephant
 an itchy sweater / a sweater
 an ugly duck / a duck
 a european
 a university
 a unit
 an hour
 an honorable man
 4. Use a with the names of days of the week
1. Use a to refer to something for the first
time. when not referring to any particular day.
Examples Examples
 Would you like a drink?  I was born on a Thursday.
 I've finally got a good job.  Could I come over on a Saturday sometime?
 An elephant and a mouse fell in love.
2. Use a with names of jobs. 5. Use a to refer to an example of something.
Examples Examples
 John is a doctor.  The mouse had a tiny nose .
 Mary is training to be an engineer.  The elephant had a long trunk.
 He wants to be a dancer.  It was a very strange car.

3. Use a/an with nationalities and religions in

6. Use a with singular nouns after the words
the singular.
'what' and 'such'.
Examples
Examples
 Ravi is an Indian.
 What a shame!
 Siya is a Hindu.
 She's such a beautiful girl.
 What a lovely day!
 2. Definite article - The
1. Use the to refer to something which has already been mentioned.
Examples
 On Monday, an unarmed man stole $1,000 from the bank. The thief hasn't been
caught yet.
 I was walking past Benny's Bakery when I decided to go into the bakery to get
some bread.
 There's
2. Use the a when you
position assume
available in there is just
my team. Theone
job of
willsomething in international
involve some that place, even if it
has not been mentioned before.
travel.
Examples
 We went on a walk in the forest yesterday.
 Where is the bathroom?
 Turn left and go to number 45. Our house is across from the Italian restaurant.
 My father enjoyed the book you gave him.
3. Use the in sentences or clauses where you define or identify a particular
person or object.
Examples
 The man who wrote this book is famous.
 I scratched the red car parked outside.
 I live in the small house with a blue door.
 He is the doctor I came to see.
4. Use the to refer to people or objects that are unique.
Examples
 The sun rose at 6:17 this morning.
 You can go anywhere in the world.
 Clouds drifted across the sky.
 The president will be speaking on TV tonight.
 The CEO of Total is coming to our meeting.

5. Use the before superlatives and ordinal

numbers.
Examples
 This is the highest building in New York.
 She read the last chapter of her new book
first.
 You are the tallest person in our class.
 This is the third time I have called you today.
6. Use the with adjectives, to refer to a whole group
of people.
Examples
 The French enjoy cheese.
 The elderly require special attention.
 She has given a lot of money to the poor.
7. Use the with decades.
Examples
 He was born in the seventies.
 This is a painting from the 1820's.

8. Use the with clauses introduced by only

Examples
 This is the only day we've had sunshine all
week.
 You are the only person he will listen to.
 The only tea I like is black tea.

9. Use the with names of geographical areas, rivers, mountain ranges, groups of
islands, canals, and oceans.
Examples
 They are travelling in the Arctic.
 Our ship crossed the Atlantic in 7 days.
 I will go on a cruise down the Nile.
 Hiking across the Rocky Mountains would be difficult.
10. Use the with countries that have plural
names
Examples
 I have never been to the Netherlands.
 Do you know anyone who lives in the
11. Use the with countries that include the words "republic", "kingdom", or
Philippines?
"states" in their names.
Examples
 She is visiting the United States.
 James is from the Republic of Ireland.
12. Use the with newspaper names.
Examples
 I read it in the Hindustan Times.
 She works for the Hindu.

13. Use the with the names of famous buildings, works of art,
museums, or monuments.
Examples
 Have you been to the Vietnam Memorial?
 We went to the Louvre and saw the Mona Lisa.
 I would like to visit the Eiffel Tower.
 I saw King Lear at the Taj Mahal.
14. Use the with the names of hotels & restaurants, unless these are
named after a person.
Examples
 They are staying at the Hilton on 6th street.
 We ate at the Golden Lion.

15. Use the with the names of families, but not with the names of
individuals.
Examples
 We're having dinner with the Smiths tonight.
 The Browns are going to the play with us.
 Omitting the definite article

1. Do not use the with names of countries (except for the special cases
discussed earlier).
Examples
 Germany is an important economic power.
 He's just returned from Zimbabwe.
2. Do not use the with the names of
languages.
Examples
 French is spoken in Tahiti.
 English uses many words of Latin origin.
 Indonesian is a relatively new language.
3. Do not use the with the names of meals.
Examples
 Lunch is my favorite meal.
 I like to eat breakfast early.
4. Do not use the with people's names.
Examples
 John is coming over later.
 Mary Carpenter is my boss.

5. Do not use the with titles when combined

with names.
Examples
 Prince Charles is Queen Elizabeth's son.
 President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas.

6. Do not use the after the 's possessive case

Examples
 His brother's car was stolen.
 Peter's house is over there.

7. Do not use the with professions

Examples
 Engineering is a well-paid career.
 He'll probably study medicine.
8. Do not use the with names of shops
Examples
 I'll get the card at Smith's.
 Can you go to Boots for me?

9. Do not use the with years

Examples
 1948 was a wonderful year.
 He was born in 1995.

10. Do not use the with uncountable nouns

Examples
 Rice is an important food in Asia.
 Milk is often added to tea in England.
 War is destructive.

11. Do not use the with the names of individual mountains,

lakes and islands
Examples
 Mount McKinley is the highest mountain in Alaska.
 She lives near Lake Windermere.
 Have you visited Long Island?
12. Do not use the with most names of towns, streets, stations and
airports
Examples
 Victoria Station is in the centre of London.
 Can you direct me to Bond Street?
 She lives in Florence.
 They're flying into Heathrow.
13. Do not use the before plural countable nouns
Examples
 Children like toys.
 Boys play with cars.

14. Do not use the before relations like father,

mother, aunt etc.
Examples
 Father is still not home.
 Aunty Meera came to visit us last month.
 3. Demonstratives
 Demonstratives show where an object, event, or person is in relation to the
speaker. They can refer to a physical or a psychological closeness or distance.
 When talking about events, the near demonstratives are often used to refer to
the present while the far demonstratives often refer to the past.

Near Far from the Near the speaker Far from the speaker
the speaker
Is this John's house? Is that John's house over there?
speak
er This is a nice That must have been a nice
surprise! surprise for you.
Adverb Here There
These apples are Those apples are yours.
Demonstra This That mine.
tive with
singular What are you up Those days are long gone.
nouns to these days?
&
This time I won't be We really surprised you that
uncountabl
late. time.
e nouns
This sugar is for my You can use that sugar for your
Demonstra These Those crepes. cake.
tive with
plural
1. Demonstratives can be placed before the noun or the adjective that
modifies the noun.
Examples
 This blue car needs to be washed next.
 Those people were here first.
 That metal rod should work.
 These oranges are delicious.
2. Demonstratives can also appear before a number by itself when the noun is
understood from the context.
Examples
 I'd like to try on that one.
 This one is broken.
 I'll take these three.
 Those two are not as pretty as these two.
3. Demonstratives can be used by themselves when the noun they modify is
understood from the context.
Examples
 I'll never forget this.
 That has nothing to do with me.
 I didn't ask for these.
 Those aren't mine.
 4. Pronouns and Possessive Determiners
Subject Object Possessive Possessive Reflexive or Emphatic
pronoun pronoun adjective pronoun pronoun
(determiner)

1st person singular I me my mine myself

2nd person singular you you your yours yourself

3rd person singular, he him his his himself

male
3rd person singular, she her her hers herself
female
3rd person singular, it it its itself
neutral
1st person plural we us our ours ourselves

2nd person plural you you your yours yourselves

3rd person plural they them their theirs themselves

1. Possessive adjectives (determiners)
Possessive adjectives are not pronouns, but rather determiners.
Possessive adjectives function as adjectives, so they appear before the
noun they modify. They do not replace a noun as pronouns do.

Examples
 Did mother find my shoes?
 Mrs. Baker wants to see your homework.
 Can Jake bring over his baseball cards?
 Samantha will fix her bike tomorrow.
 The cat broke its leg.
 This is our house.
 Where is their school?
 5. Quantifiers

Only with uncountable With all types of nouns Only with countable
nouns nouns
a little no, none, not any a few
a bit of some a number of
any several
a great deal of a lot of, lots of a great number of
a large amount of plenty of a large number of

Examples
 Would you like some tea and a few cookies?
 I always put a little milk and some carrots in my soup.
 He has several apples. I don't have any fruit at all.
 She has plenty of clothes for the winter.
 I recieved a large amount of feedback from my survey.
 Using "much" and "many"
Much and many are mainly used in interrogative and negative sentences.
They are also used in affirmative and negative sentences in combination
with too and so.

Uncountable nouns Countable nouns

How much sugar do you have? How many people came to the concert?
There's not much sugar at the store. Not many people came to the concert.
I have too much sugar at home. There were too many people at the
concert.
I don't know what to do with so much It's a problem when there are so many
sugar. people.
I wish there was not so much sugar here. There were not so many people last year.
There is a lot of sugar in candy. There are many people who want to come.
= There are a lot of people who want to
come.
The quantifiers few and a few, and little and a little show the speaker's
attitude towards the quantity he is referring to as either positive or negative.

Positive attitude
A few (for countable nouns) and a little (for uncountable nouns) describe the quantity
in a positive way, implying that although the speaker may not have much, he has enough.
Examples
•I've got a few friends. = I have enough friends.
•I have a few flowers in my garden. = I have enough flowers.
•I've got a little money. = I have enough money.
•I have a little free time on Thursdays. = I have enough free time.

Negative attitude
Few (for countable nouns) and little (for uncountable nouns) describe the quantity in
a negative way. They may actually indicate a total lack of the noun, but are more polite than
saying so directly.
Examples
•Few people visited him in hospital. = he had almost no visitors, or perhaps no visitors at all.
•I've seen few birds around here. = there are almost no birds, or perhaps not a single bird
•He had little money for treats. = almost no money, or perhaps no money at all
•I have little time for TV = almost no time, or perhaps no time at all
 Indefinite and incomplete quantities
Some and any can be used with countable and uncountable nouns to describe an
undefined or incomplete quantity.
Using "some"
Some can be used in descriptive sentences.
Examples
 I had some rice for lunch.
 He got some books from the library.
 I will have some news next week.
 Philip wants some help with his exams.
 There is some butter in the fridge.
Some is also used in interrogative sentences when you think you already know the
answer.
Examples
 Did he give you some tea? = I think he did.
 Is there some fruit juice in the fridge? = I think there is.
 Would you like some help? = Probably you do.
 Will you have some roast beef? = Probably you will
Some can also be used in interrogative sentences to ask for something or to offer
something.
Examples
 Could I have some books, please?
 Why don't you take some apples home with you?
Using "any"
1. Any is used in interrogative sentences when you do not know the answer.
Examples
 Do you have any friends in London?
 Do they have any children?
 Do you want any groceries from the shop?
 Are there any problems with your work?

2. Any is also used with not to form negative sentences. In these sentences,
the word any emphasizes the negativity to make it more absolute.
Examples
 She doesn't want any kitchen appliances for Christmas.
 They don't need any help moving to their new house.
 I don't want any cake.
 There isn't any reason to complain.
Quantifier Comparative Superlative
With plural countable nouns
many more most
few fewer fewest
With uncountable nouns
much more most
little less least

Examples
 There are many people in England, more people in India, but the most
people live in China.
 Much time and money is spent on education, more on health services but the
most is spent on national defence.
 Few rivers in Europe are not polluted.
 Fewer people die young now than in the seventeenth century.
 The country with the fewest people per square kilometre must be Australia.
 Scientists have little hope of finding a complete cure for cancer before the year
2020.
 She had less time to study than Paul but had better results.
Enough can be used as a quantifier when it is placed before any noun, to
indicate the quantity required or necessary. It can be used in both affirmative
and negative sentences.
Examples
 There is enough bread for lunch.
 She has enough money.
 There are not enough apples for all of us.
 I don't have enough sugar to make a cake.

Note:
The word enough can also be an adverb of degree, in which case it is not
placed before
 The tree is notabig
noun.
enough.
 Ravi and Riya didn’t look hard enough.
 Is your coffee hot enough?
 The box was big enough to fit three cats.
 He’s not old enough to go out alone.
 6. Distributives
Using "each" and "every"
Each is a way of seeing the members of a group as individuals, while every is a way of seeing a
group as a series of members. These distributives can only be used with countable nouns.
They are normally used with singular nouns, and are placed before the noun. In many cases, they
are interchangeable.
Examples
 Each child received a present.
 Every child received a present.
 I gave each plant some water.
 I gave every plant some water.
Each can also be used with plural nouns and pronouns but must be followed by
'of'. Every cannot be used with plural nouns.
Examples
 Each of the children received a present.
 I gave each of the plants some water.
 He told each of us our jobs.
 I gave each of them a kiss.
Every can express different points in a series, especially with time
expressions. Each works in the same way, but is less common.
Examples
 Every morning John goes jogging.
 This magazine is published every week.
 I have my coffee here every day.

Using "all" as a distributive
The distributive determiner all is used to talk about a whole group, with a special emphasis on the
fact that nothing has been left out.
1. All can be used with uncountable nouns and plural countable nouns by itself. In this
usage, it refers to the group, rather than as individuals.
Examples
 All cheese contains protein.
 I like all dogs.
 All children need affection.
 This soap is for all purposes.
2. All can be used with uncountable nouns and plural countable nouns preceded by the or
a possessive adjective. In this case, the meaning is shifted towards referring to a
concrete, physical group rather than the group as a concept. In these uses, the
word of can be added just after all with no change in meaning.
Examples
 All the people in the room were silent.
 All of the birds flew away.
 Have you eaten all the bread?
 I will need all of the sugar.
 I've invited all my friends to the party.
 I've used up all of our eggs.
 You wasted all your time.
3. All can be used with plural pronouns preceded by of.
Examples
 All of us are going.
 He scolded all of you.
 Did you find all of them?

4. All can be used in questions and exclamations with uncountable nouns

preceded by this or that. In these uses, the word of can be added just
after all with no change in meaning.
Examples
 Who has left all this paper on my desk?
 Look at all this snow!
 Why is all of that sugar on the floor?
 Where did all of this confetti come from?

5. All can be used in questions and exclamations with countable nouns

preceded by these or those. In these uses, the word of can be added just
after all with no change in meaning.
Examples
 Look at all those balloons!
 Where did all of those books come from?
 Why are all these children crying?
Using "both"
Both refers to the whole pair and is equivalent to "one and the other." Both can be
used with plural nouns on its own, or it can be followed by "of," with or without an
article. When followed by a plural pronoun, both must be separated from the
pronoun by "of" Both cannot be used with singular nouns, because it refers
to two things.

Examples
 Both children were born in Italy.
 Both the children were born in Italy.
 Both of the children were born in Italy.
 Both my parents have fair hair.
 Both of my parents have fair hair.
 Both of us like skiing.
 I told both of them to calm down.
Using "either"
1. Either is positive and when used alone, refers to one of the two members of
the pair. It is equivalent to "one or the other." Because it refers to just one
member of a pair, either must be used before a singular noun. It can also be
used with a plural noun or pronoun if followed by "of".
Examples
 I can stay at either hotel.
 Either day is fine for me.
 There are two chairs here. You can take either of them.
 Either of you can come.
 Either of the hotels will be fine.
 I can eat either of the salads.

2. Either can also be used with or in a construction that talks about each
member of the pair in turn. The meaning remains the same, but in this
case either is not functioning as a distributive. It is functioning as a
conjunction.
Examples
 You can have either ice cream or chocolate cake.
 I will come on either Thursday or Friday.
 You can either come inside or put on your raincoat.
Using "neither"
1. Neither is negative and when used alone, refers to the whole pair. It is
equivalent to "not one or the other". Because it refers to just one member
of a pair, neither must be used before a singular noun. It can also be used
with a plural noun or pronoun if followed by "of".
Examples
 Neither chair is any good.
 Neither brother came.
 Which bag do you want? Neither of them.
 Neither of us were on time.
 I think neither of these dresses fits me.
 Neither of the children wanted to go.

2. Neither can also be used with nor in a construction that talks about each
member of the pair in turn. The meaning remains the same, but in this
case neither is not functioning as a distributive. It is functioning as a
conjunction.
Examples
 You can have neither cookies nor candy.
 It is neither raining nor snowing.
 She is neither tall nor short.
 7. Determiners of Difference

The determiners other and another refer to something different, remaining,

or additional. They are placed before a noun. The other is treated separately
because its usage is slightly different.

Other Plural countable nouns and all uncountable

nouns
Another Singular countable nouns
The other Any noun that can take the definite article
"the"
Using "other"
Other can be used alone or after the determiners some, any, and no.
Examples
 Do you have other shoes?
 There are other jobs you could try.
 Is there any other bread?
 I have some other sugar we could use.
 We have no other ideas.

If used with a plural countable noun and one of these determiners, the noun
may be omitted when it is understood from the context. In that
case, other becomes plural. This can also happen with other used by itself, but
it is less common.
Examples
 Do you have any others?
 I know some others who might like to come.
 There are no others in this box.
 I know others like vanilla, but I prefer chocolate.
 She doesn't have to wear that dress. She has others.
Using "another"
Another is used with singular countable nouns. For uncountable
nouns, another is often used with measure words that are singular.
Examples
 Have another cookie.
 Would you like another cup of tea?
 He has another brother.
 I don't have another car.
 I'll come by another time.

Using "the other"

If the other is modifying a plural countable noun, the noun may be omitted
when it is understood from the context. In that case, other will become plural.
Examples
 Where is the other box of cereal?
 I work on the weekend and go to school on the other days of the week.
 May I use the other honey for my recipe?
 I enjoyed the first book but I didn't read the other books in the series.
 Have you seen the others?
 Jim ate two cookies. I ate the others.
 8. Comparatives – More/Less/Fewer

We use MORE or LESS before singular uncountable nouns by adding ‘than’ after it.
Examples
 I do more work than Suresh.
 Please give me some more butter.
 Ravi does less work than me.
 I want less jam than Suresh.

We use FEWER before plural countable nouns to refer to a group smaller than the other.
Examples
 Fewer students succeeded in the exam.
 We had fewer computers last year.