English
What is a determiner?
Quick answer
A determiner is a word that comes before a noun to show which one or how many, such as a, an, the, this, those, my, some, every or three.
In one sentence
A determiner is a word placed before a noun to tell you which one, whose, or how many.
Explained
In the dog, a dog, my dog, that dog and three dogs, the noun stays the same but the word in front changes the meaning. Those words are determiners. They come before the noun, and before any adjectives too: the big dog, not big the dog.
The main types are:
- Articles: a, an (any one) and the (a particular one).
- Demonstratives: this, that, these, those (pointing out).
- Possessives: my, your, his, her, its, our, their (whose).
- Quantifiers: some, any, many, much, few, every, each, all, no, several.
- Numbers: one, two, twenty, first, second.
A or an? Listen to the next sound, not the next letter. Use an before a vowel sound: an apple, an egg, an hour (the h is silent). Use a before a consonant sound: a banana, a unicorn, a one-way street (these start with /y/ and /w/ sounds). See vowels and consonants.
Some determiner words can also be pronouns. In This cake is lovely, this is a determiner (a noun follows). In This is lovely, this stands alone, so it is a pronoun.
"Determiner" is the term used in schools in England. In the US, children often learn the same words as articles (a, an, the), demonstratives and possessive adjectives; the idea is the same.
apple
egg
banana
Examples
- The sun rose over the hills.
- Can I have some water and an orange?
- These books are my brother's.
- Every child got two stickers.
- Which bus goes to town?
Common mistakes
- Choosing a/an by letter. It is an hour and a uniform, because of the sound.
- Using "them" as a determiner. In standard English say those books, not them books.
- Mixing up its and it's. The determiner its has no apostrophe: The dog wagged its tail.
Quick quiz
Determiners
Check what you know with 4 quick questions.
Question 1 of 4
Find the determiner: Those shoes are muddy.
Practise it
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For grown-ups
Related topics
Nouns
A noun is a word that names a person, place, thing or idea, such as teacher, Lagos, pencil or happiness.
Adjectives
An adjective is a word that describes a noun, telling you what kind, which one or how many, like a huge elephant, a sour lemon or three red balloons.
Pronouns
A pronoun is a word that stands in for a noun so you don't have to repeat it, such as he, she, it, they, we, me, mine or who.
Vowels and consonants
The vowel letters are a, e, i, o and u (and sometimes y); all the other letters are consonants. Almost every English word needs a vowel sound.
Plurals
A plural means more than one. Most nouns add -s (cats) or -es (boxes), but some change in other ways, like babies, leaves, mice and children.
Adverbs
An adverb gives more information about a verb, adjective or another adverb, telling how, when, where or how often, like slowly, tomorrow, outside or always.