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Unit 7 - Determiners

This document discusses different types of determiners that go before nouns, including articles, quantifiers, demonstrative adjectives, and possessive adjectives. It provides examples of how to use indefinite articles like "a" and "an", definite articles like "the", and quantifiers like "few", "many", and "much". The document also explains how to use demonstrative adjectives such as "this", "that", "these", and "those". Finally, it covers possessive adjectives like "my", "your", "his", and "their".

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20 views

Unit 7 - Determiners

This document discusses different types of determiners that go before nouns, including articles, quantifiers, demonstrative adjectives, and possessive adjectives. It provides examples of how to use indefinite articles like "a" and "an", definite articles like "the", and quantifiers like "few", "many", and "much". The document also explains how to use demonstrative adjectives such as "this", "that", "these", and "those". Finally, it covers possessive adjectives like "my", "your", "his", and "their".

Uploaded by

ano.sstore
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Determiners

Determiners go before nouns. There are four kinds of


determiners:

 Articles (a, an, the)


 Quantifiers (a lot of, a few, some, etc.)
 Demonstrative Adjectives (this, that, these, those)
 Possessive Adjectives (my, your, his, etc.)
Article
Use a or an (the indefinite article) with singular
count nouns to express a general meaning. Use a
or an when the thing you are referring to is not
specific, and the reader does not know what you
are referring to.
 I bought a book last night. (We don’t know which book.)
 You should bring an umbrella. (It doesn’t matter which
umbrella you bring.)
A noncountable noun usually cannot occur with a or an.

Homework takes a lot of my time.

Not
A homework takes a lot of my time.
A countable noun is always preceded by a, an, the or
another determiner.

I ate an / the / your apple.

Not
I ate apple.
No article (Ø) is used with plural count nouns and
noncount nouns to express general meaning.

 Movies are my favorite way to relax.

 I think that honesty is important.


Generally, do not use articles with proper nouns—names
of people, places, and things.

Luis is originally from Caracas, Venezuela, but now he


lives in the United States.
The (the definite article) is used to express specific
meaning with all three kinds of nouns—singular,
plural, and noncount. In this case, the reader
knows which thing you are referring to in your
writing.
 The assignment in history is interesting.
 The door was locked.
 The trains are often crowded at this time of day.
 He gave us the information that we needed.
Use the definite article the in the following cases:
1. with superlatives (the best, the cheapest, the
most, the least, etc.)
The fastest runner finished in 10 minutes.
2. with ordinal numbers (the first, the second, etc.)
I didn’t understand the second question.
3. with same
We have the same math class this semester.
She made the same mistakes as I did.
In general, select a, an, or no article when using a noun
for the first time and the (or another determiner) every
time afterwards.
 I put a book in your room. The book is on your desk.
 We saw a great movie last night. The movie was about
space aliens.
 They bought furniture last night. The furniture will be
delivered tomorrow.
Quantifiers
Use quantifiers before nouns to indicate an amount or
number.

 We bought two books and several magazines.

 My neighbors have a lot of children.


Quantifiers that can be used with plural count nouns
include:
 few
 a few
 several
 some
 many
 a lot of / lots of
Note the difference between few and a few:

 She has few friends. (meaning: She has almost not


friends.)

 She had a few friends before. (meaning: She had some or


a small number of friends.)
Quantifiers that can be used with noncount nouns
include:
 little
 a little
 much
Note the difference between little and a little:

 He gave me little help. (meaning: He gave almost no help


or not enough.)

 He gave me a little help. (meaning: He gave me some, or a


small amount, of help.)
Any often replaces some in questions and negative
statements.

 Did you have any problems with the assignment?

 No, I didn’t have any problems, but some questions


were tricky.
Much is often used with noncount nouns in questions
and negative statements. It is unusual in affirmative
statements. Use a lot of instead of much in affirmative
statements.
Did you get much sleep last night?
No, I didn’t get much sleep, but the night before I got a
lot of sleep.
Each and every are followed by singular count nouns and
singular verbs.

 Every student meets with a counselor once a year.

 Every college charges a different amount for books.


Each of and one of the are followed by plural count
nouns. The verb remains singular.

 Each of the students plans to take the final.

 One of the students is not finished yet.


Demonstrative Adjectives

Use this and that with singular count nouns and


with noncount nouns. Use these and those with
plural count nouns.
 This test is very difficult.
 That furniture looks beautiful in your house.
 These courses are at the beginning level.
 Did you pay a lot for those shoes?
Possessive Adjectives

The possessive adjectives are:


 my
 your
 his
 her
 its
 our
 their
Use possessive adjectives before nouns. They can come
before any kind of noun.

 My parents live in Cairo.


 We need to include their information in the report.
Important!

Don’t confuse the possessive adjective its with it’s, the


contraction of it is.

Its (the college’s) teachers are the best in the city. It’s (it is)
the best college in the state.
Another and Other

Use another with singular count nouns. It means “one in


addition to the one(s) already mentioned.”

 My older brother lives in Los Angeles, and I have


another brother living in New York.
Another and Other

Use other with plural count nouns and with


noncount nouns. It means “more or several more
in addition to the the one(s) already mentioned.”
 I’ve already finished, and other students have
finished too. (some in addition to me, but not all)
 He found other information for his paper.
Another and Other

Use the other with singular or plural count nouns. It


means “the rest of a specific group.”
 I finished, and the other student finished, too.
 I finished, and all the other students finished, too. (all
the students)
The End

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