When it comes to being more specific about the nouns we make use of in sentence, determiners are our greatest assets, and this brings us to the study of determiners in English.
What are Determiners?
Determiners are words that serve the purpose of specifying nouns in larger structures of language such as phrases, clauses or sentences. They help us identify the nouns being referred to in a sentence as result of their indicative nature. Take for instance:
That boy is going to rule someday.
The determiner in the sentence above is: "That", and as we established earlier, determiners help us identify the nouns being referred to. There could have been many boys in the context of the sentence, but by using the determiner: "That", possibly accompanied by pointing, the speaker is able to single out who it is that he or she is referring to.
There are a number of determiners in English.
Types of Determiners
- Articles
- Demonstrative Determiners
- Possessive Determiners
- Interrogative Determiners
- Quantifiers
- Cardinals
- Ordinals
Articles
Articles are determiners that help in identifying nouns either by generalization or by specification. What this means is that, they can be used to refer to nouns either in a generic sense, or in a specific sense. Take for instance;
A bird in hand is worth more than two in the bushes.
The above is a popular saying, and the subject of the sentence is identified by the article: "a". It can be deducted that it is not a particular bird that is being referred to in the sentence, and we know this because of the use of the article: "a", which is a generic article, to specify the noun. If the sentence were to be more specific, it would read:
The bird in hand is worth more than two in the bushes.
In this new sentence, we can say that it is a particular bird that is being referred to, and this bird is known to the speaker hence the use of the article: "the", which is a specific article.
Types of Articles
The two types of articles in English are: Definite and Indefinite articles.
Definite article: There is only one definite article in the English language, which is the article: "The". We refer to it as a definite article because it is specific in its reference, and it identifies nouns that are known to the speaker. For instance:
The book I gave her is beautiful.
Indefinite Articles: Unlike definite article, there are two types of indefinite articles: "a", and "an". These articles are used for generalizations. We use them when making general references to nouns in a sentence. Take for instance:
A word is enough for the wise.
We use the indefinite article: "a", when the noun that follows begins with a consonant sound, while we use "an", when the noun that follows begins with a vowel sound. Take for instance:
A zoo and An emblem.
Demonstrative Determiners
Demonstrative Determiners are determiners that help us in identifying the positions of nouns. They help us determine whether the noun being referred to in a sentence, is close to the speaker or far from the speaker. Take for instance:
That channel
The demonstrative determiner above is: "That", and you can tell that the noun it refers to is distant from the speaker. This is because we usually point to a distant direction when we use the demonstrative determiner: "That", to identify a noun. There are four demonstrative determiners in English, grouped into two categories depending on their proximity to the speaker of a sentence. The categories are: near and far.
Near: This, These
Far: That, Those
On one hand we use the demonstrative determiner: "This", when referring to a single noun that is close to us, and "These", when referring to a group of nouns that are close to us. On the other hand we use the demonstrative determiner: "That", when referring to a single noun that is far from our reach, and "Those", when referring to a group of nouns that are far from our reach.
Examples:
This book in my hand.
These spoons in my house
That boy across the street
Those chefs in Europe
Possessive Determiners
Possessive determiners are determiners that are used to indicate possession. They serve the purpose of showing ownership of nouns in sentences. Take for instance:
My book is heavy.
In the sentence above, the possessive determiner is: "My", and it serves the purpose of indicating the ownership of the noun: "book', in the sentence. Other possessive pronouns include: your, our, their, his, her, etc.,.
Interrogative Determiners
Interrogative determiners are determiners that are used to introduce nouns in an interrogative sentence. They basically come before a noun in an interrogative sentence, to identify what the question is centered on. Take for instance:
Which book is required for the test?
The Interrogative determiner: "Which", in the sentence above, introduces the noun: "book", in the Interrogative sentence because the question centers on it. Meaning, the noun: "book", is the theme of the question.
Other interrogative determiners include: who, whom, what, etc.,.
Quantifiers
Quantifiers are determiners that are used to indicate the quantity of nouns in a sentence. That is, they are used when reference is being made to how many of a noun are present in a sentence. Take for instance:
Some books are expensive.
In the sentence above, the quantifier: "Some", indicates the number of books identified in the sentence. It is also important to note that quantifiers are indefinite in their reference. That is, they do not refer to a specific number, rather they are vague in their reference just like indefinite pronouns, which share the same structure with them. Other quantifiers include: few, little, many, much, etc.,.
Cardinals
Cardinals are determiners that are used to identify the specific number of nouns in a sentence. Unlike quantifiers, they give us an accurate account of the number of nouns in a sentence. Take for instance:
Four books are on the table.
The Cardinal: "Four", in the example above, gives us a specific head count of the number of the noun it refers to in the sentence. Other cardinals include: two, three, four, five to infinity (and beyond).
Ordinal
Ordinals are determiners that are quite similar to cardinals, however, they are slightly different. While cardinals give specific numerical value of a specific noun in a sentence, ordinals indicate the positional value of a specific noun in a sentence. Take for instance;
The first man to walk on the moon.
The ordinal in the example above is: "first", and it gives us the positional value of the noun: "man". Other examples of ordinals include: sixth, fifth, fourth, third, second, etc.,.
So determiners are words that specify, show ownership, indicate the quantity of nouns in a sentence among others. We use them when we intend to be especially clear about the nouns we use in our sentences. Some of the types of determiners include: Articles, demonstrative determiners, possessive determiners, etc.,. Understanding determiners in English will better inform you on how to use them effectively in writing.
Read more:
- Adjective Clauses in English: Understanding How to Describe with Clauses
- Common Nouns in English Uncovered
- Complete Rules of Concord in English: An Extensive Guide
- Understanding Proper Nouns in English