NEETClass 11thClass 12thClass 12th PlusJEEClass 11thClass 12thClass 12th PlusClass 6-10Class 6thClass 7thClass 8thClass 9thClass 10thOnline CoursesDistance LearningInternational OlympiadNEETClass 11thClass 12thClass 12th PlusJEE (Main+Advanced)Class 11thClass 12thClass 12th PlusJEE MainClass 11thClass 12thClass 12th PlusClass 6-10Class 6thClass 7thClass 8thClass 9thClass 10thNEET2025202420232022JEE20262025202420232022Class 6-10JEE MainPrevious Year PapersSample PapersMock TestResultAnalysisSyllabusExam DatePercentile PredictorAnswer KeyCounsellingEligibilityExam PatternJEE MathsJEE ChemistryJEE PhysicsJEE AdvancedPrevious Year PapersSample PapersMock TestResultAnalysisSyllabusExam DateAnswer KeyEligibilityExam PatternRank PredictorNEETPrevious Year PapersSample PapersMock TestResultAnalysisSyllabusExam DateCollege PredictorAnswer KeyRank PredictorCounsellingEligibilityExam PatternBiologyNCERT SolutionsClass 6Class 7Class 8Class 9Class 10Class 11Class 12TextbooksCBSEClass 12Class 11Class 10Class 9Class 8Class 7Class 6SubjectsSyllabusNotesSample PapersQuestion PapersICSEClass 10Class 9Class 8Class 7Class 6State BoardBiharKarnatakaMadhya PradeshMaharashtraTamilnaduWest BengalUttar PradeshOlympiadMathsScienceEnglishSocial ScienceNSOIMONMTCASATInstant Online ScholarshipAIOT(NEET)TALLENTEXALLEN for SchoolsAbout ALLENBlogsNewsCareersRequest a call backBook a demo
Determiners
1.0Difference Between Adjectives and Determiners
Both adjectives and determiners provide additional information about nouns. Adjectives, traditionally called a part of speech, are defined as words that describe the quality of nouns/pronouns. For example, the following italicized words are adjectives:
Examples: The blue flowers grow best in bright sunlight. The tall man is sad. My crazy uncle painted his living room pink.
Adjective : The adjective 'blue' modifies the noun flowers by describing the flower's colour just as the adjective 'bright' modifies the noun sunlight by describing the sunlight's brightness. Similarly, both the adjective 'tall' and the adjective 'sad' modify the noun man by describing his physical height and his emotional state. Finally, the adjective 'crazy' describes the noun uncle, and the adjective 'pink' describes the colour of his living room.
Determiner : Determiner is a word or word sets that express information about a noun such as definiteness, proximity, relationship, or quantity.
The seven types of determiners in English are:
- Articles - a, an, the
- Possessives - my, our, your, his, her, its, their
- Distributives - each, every, either, neither
- Demonstratives - this, that, these, those
- Interrogatives - what, which, whose
- Numerals - cardinal and ordinal numbers
- Quantifiers - all, any, both, many, much, some, several, few, a few, the few, fewer, less, little, a little, the little, a large number of, a great deal of, a lot of, lots of, no, none, not any
For example, the following italicized words are determiners:
- An apple is a healthy snack.
- My new house is your house.
- This puppy ate that shoe and those socks.
- Which essay is for what class?
- Two thieves stole a dozen cars.
- Many children have read all of the books.
2.0What do Determiners do?
All determiners perform only one grammatical function: determinative. Determiners express the reference, the relationship or position of a noun within a specific context to the speaker of the sentence. Also, they do not describe a noun like an adjective describes; they only decide the noun and point it out.
- Ordinal numbers: show the order of nouns in an arrangement. Examples: first, second, third, fourth, fifth... Cardinal numbers: Absolute numbers Examples: one rose, five apples, four boxes, six people...
- Each is used to mean every single person or thing considered individually. Each is usually regarded as singular and hence takes a singular verb. It is used for small number and sometimes for two. Examples: Each person wants an answer. Each student of the class answered. (Students in a class are limited.) Every is used to mean all single person or thing without an exception. Like 'each', 'every' is also regarded as singular and hence, takes a singular verb. Every involves large or indefinite number. Examples: Every person has to get what he wants. Every Indian is proud of Mary Kom for winning a medal in Olympics. (All the Indians)
- Those young boys are too naughty. 'Young' is the adjective and 'those' is the demonstrative determiner which limits the noun boys. The word young describes the noun boys, the word those doesn't describe but points out some particular boys. Also, the word those is used for plural so the number of the noun boys is limited by the determiner in plural. We cannot write: those boy or those girl.
- My new house is being painted. The possessive determiner 'my' in the noun phrase 'my new house' expresses a relationship between the noun 'house' and 'myself' as the speaker.
- The window is beautiful. Similarly, the definite article 'the' in the noun phrase the window expresses definiteness, meaning the speaker is referring to a specific window as opposed to a window in general.
- I like that purple sweater. The adjective 'purple' in the noun phrase 'purple sweater' describes the colour of the clothing. If the adjective is changed from purple to green as in green sweater, then the physical quality of the sweater has changed. Determiners, on the other hand, place the noun to the speaker of the sentence within a speech context. The demonstrative determiner that positions the noun phrase purple sweater in the sentence I like that purple sweater as physically far from me as the speaker. If the other person in the conversation picks up the sweater and replies, "This purple sweater ?" the demonstrative determiner this now positions the sweater as close to the second speaker. The reference of the noun in relation to the speaker changes, but the quality of the sweater (in this case, being the colour purple) remains the same.
What are the Differences Between Adjectives and Determiners?
- Determiners are said to "mark" nouns. That is to say, a determiner will be followed by a noun.
- Determiners - are words or phrases that always precede a noun or noun phrase and serve to express its reference in the context.
- Adjectives describe the attribute or quality of a noun but the determiners decide the noun and point it. Adjectives just express an attribute of something.
- Adjectives can modify any noun-singular or plural whereas some determiners can modify either singular or plural. big boy or big boys. - Adjective doesn't change with number. but this boy, these boys, all boys, a boy, or the boy. - Determiner change with number.
- Some determiners have corresponding pronouns i.e., the same words are also used as pronouns while adjectives don't, e.g., this, all, some, each. All men are equal and I know all the rules. The word 'all' is a determiner in the sentence, but a pronoun in All is well that ends well.
- Most adjectives are gradable,
- good, better, best or
- tall, taller, tallest etc. Whereas determiners are not, except much/many, few, little.
- Adjectives can generally be used in combination without restriction, whereas only certain combinations of determiners are allowable. Examples: A long red sticky and smoky smelling pipe. A is a determiner, others are adjectives, pipe is a noun A this my long red sticky and smoky smelling pipe. a big green book is grammatical. but every his book is not.
3.0Types of Determiners
Some
- Use some in positive (affirmative) sentences.
- Use some in questions when offering or requesting something. Examples: Would you like some bread? (offer) Can I have some water, please? (request)
- Some is used for both countable and uncountable nouns. Examples: I have some friends. (friends is countable) I'd like some water. (water is uncountable)
- Sometimes we use some in a question, when we expect a positive (YES) answer. It is not a real question, because we think we know the answer already. Examples: Wouldn't you like some more tea? Could I have some sugar, please?
Any
- Use any for countable and uncountable nouns in interrogative sentences. Examples: Have you got any cheese? Have you got any friends? Exception: But when offering or requesting something, use 'some'.
- In negative sentences. Examples: He hasn't got any cheese. He hasn't got any friends in Chicago.
- We use any in a positive sentence when the real sense is negative. Examples: I refused to give them any money. (I did not give them any money) She finished the test without any difficulty. (She did not have any difficulty)
No / None / Not any
Q. How many cars are there in the car park? A. There aren't any cars in the car park.
There are no cars in the car park. None.
Every and All
- We use every + singular noun is = all the + plural noun Examples: Every house in the street is the same. = All the houses in the street are the same. Alice has been to every country in Europe. Alice has been to all the countries in Europe.
- every day and all day. every day = on all days; all day = the complete day. Example: A: How often do you read a newspaper? B: Every day. The weather was bad yesterday. It rained all day. Bill watches TV for about two hours every evening. (= on all evenings)
A lot / A lot of / Lots of / Much / Many
A. We use a lot of + all types of noun
We use much + uncountable nouns in the plural. We use many + countable nouns in the plural.
B. We generally use much/many in questions and negative sentences: Examples: Do you drink much coffee? I don't drink much coffee. We use a lot of in all types of sentences: Examples: Have you got a lot of friends? We haven't got a lot of friends.
C. 'much' and 'a lot' without a noun Examples: Diya spoke to me but she didn't say much. 'Do you watch TV much?' 'No, not much.' (= not often)
- Little It is an adjective, used to denote scarcity. It is used with uncountable nouns. Example: There is little change in his attitude.
- A little It gives a positive connotation. It is used in the sense of 'some at least. Example: Would you like a little sugar?
- The little It implies two statements, one Negative and the other Affirmative. It indicates 'the whole of any particular quantity'. Example: The little time I could spare out of my daily routine was not enough for a sound sleep.
- Few It is an adjective, used with a plural to denote scarcity. It is used with countable nouns. Example: Few cities retain their old world charm.
- A Few It is an Affirmative Adjective. It is used in the sense of 'some at least'. Example: She has lived in India for a few years.
- The Few It implies two statements, one Negative and the other Affirmative. It indicates 'the whole of any particular number'. Example: Della purchased a watch for her husband with the few rupees she received after selling her hair.
4.0Summary
- Adjectives have primarily three functions: they modify noun phrases, or complement the object or subject of a sentence.
- The definite and indefinite articles are referred to as central determiners.
- Determiners which come immediately before the central determiners are called predeterminers they are used mainly for referring to quantity.
- Determiners which come immediately after the central determiners and the reference to the noun is more precise, they most commonly include ordinal and cardinal numbers.
- Each, Every Each means individual things in a group or a list of two or more things. Every is a way of seeing a group as series of members. Examples: (a) Each member was given the instructions. (b) Every soldier had a gun.
- Usually, no singular countable common noun is used by itself without an article. Examples: A boy An indefinite article, that is a or an, points to any singular common noun. Indefinite articles are called so because they refer to any one noun in a group and not to a particular noun.
- The definite article can be used for both singular and plural nouns Examples: A. I met a boy this morning. The boy was looking for his lost dog. (singular noun) B. The teachers of our school follow a dress code. (plural noun)
Also Read