Determiners
Determiners introduce noun phrases and convey information like quantity and definiteness:
- I want some pie.
If the word doesn’t introduce a noun phrase, it is a pronoun:
- I want some.
Definite and indefinite articles
The is the only definite article. It refers to a specific thing or things:
- The woman next door.
- The jokes were funny.
Use an based on sound, not spelling:
- A university.
- An FBI agent.
Types of determiners
The following examples are determiners only when they introduce noun phrases:
| Type | Example | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| Possessive | my, your, his, her, our, its | Show possession. Very similar to possessive pronouns. |
| Demonstrative | this, that, these, those | Demonstrate a closer proximity, either physical or conceptual. |
| Interrogative | what, whose | Allow the speaker to pose a question. |
| Relative | which, whose | Form clauses that describe nouns |
| Nominal relative | which, whichever, what, whatever | |
| Quantifying | any, some, many, all, a lot, a little | Modify a noun and describe how much of it there is. |
| Conditional | whichever, whatever, whatsoever | Introduce nouns that represent a range of choice. |
| Exclamative | what | Creates an exclamation. |