Determiners - Class 8 - English

Determiners are words that we put in front of nouns (people, places, or things) to help us understand more about them. 

There are two main types: general determiners and specific determiners.

General Determiners

General determiners are words that tell us about the quantity or the general idea of a noun. They don't tell us about a specific person, place, or thing. 

Here are some examples:

1. Indefinite articles: "a" and "an" - These words are used with countable nouns (nouns we can count, like "apple" or "dog") when we are talking about one of something, but it doesn't matter which one. 
   • For example: "I need a pencil" means you need any pencil, not a specific one.
2. "Some" and "any" - These words are used with both countable and uncountable nouns (nouns we can't count, like "water" or "music") to tell us that there is more than one or an unknown amount. 
   • For example: "I need some paper" means you need an unknown amount of paper.

Specific Determiners

Specific determiners are words that tell us about a specific person, place, or thing. 

Here are some examples:

1. Definite article: "the" - This word is used with both countable and uncountable nouns when we are talking about a specific person, place, or thing. 
   • For example: "I need the pencil" means you need a specific pencil, not just any pencil.
2. Possessive determiners: "my," "your," "his," "her," "its," "our," and "their" - These words tell us that the noun belongs to someone. 
   • For example: "This is my book" means the book belongs to you.
3. Demonstrative determiners: "this," "that," "these," and "those" - These words point out specific nouns. 
   • For example: "This apple is delicious" means you are talking about a specific apple.

In summary, determiners are words that help us give more information about nouns. General determiners tell us about the quantity or general idea of a noun, while specific determiners point to a specific person, place, or thing.

There is another way we can categorise determiners. There are several types of determiners

1. Articles: These are the words "a," "an," and "the." 
   • We use "a" and "an" when we're talking about any one item, but not a specific one. 
   • For example, "a book" could be any book. We use "the" when we're talking about a specific item. 
   • For example, "the book" refers to a particular book.
2. Possessive determiners: These words show that a noun belongs to someone. 
   • They include "my," "your," "his," "her," "its," "our," and "their." 
   • For example, "her bike" means the bike belongs to a girl or woman.
3. Demonstrative determiners: These words point out specific items. 
   • They include "this," "that," "these," and "those." 
   • For example, "this cat" refers to a specific cat that is close to you, while "that cat" refers to a specific cat that is farther away.
4. Quantifiers: These determiners tell us about the quantity or amount of a noun. 
   • Some examples are "some," "many," "few," "several," and "all." 
   • For example, "many students" means a large number of students.
5. Numbers: We use numbers as determiners to tell the exact quantity of a noun. 
   • For example, "three dogs" means there are exactly three dogs.
6. Interrogative determiners: These are used in questions to ask about a specific item. 
   • They include "which" and "what." 
   • For example, "Which book do you want?" asks about a specific book.
7. Distributive determiners: These words refer to individual items within a group. 
   • They include "each," "every," "either," and "neither." 
   • For example, "Each student received a prize" means that every individual student got a prize.

That's great! But how exactly do we know when to use which determiner? 🤔

How to use these determiners?

Articles

Here's how to correctly use articles.

Use "a" or "an" (indefinite articles) when talking about a non-specific noun, which means you are referring to any one of that noun, not a particular one. 

Let's dive deeper.

• Use "a" before a word that starts with a consonant sound. 
  • For example: a book, a cat, a university
  • Even though "university" starts with a vowel, it has a "y" sound, which is a consonant sound.
  • You should also use 'a' before words whose first syllable sounds like "v", like a 'a one-eyed man' or 'a one-rupee coin'
• Use "an" before a word that starts with a vowel sound. 
  • For example: an apple, an elephant, an hour 
  • Even though "hour" starts with a consonant, it has a silent "h" and starts with a vowel sound.

Use "the" (definite article) when talking about a specific noun, which means you are referring to a particular person, place, or thing. 

You should use "the" in the following situations: