TOPIC: DETERMINERS

Class: 10th
Subject: English Grammar

Determiner is a word that is used to modify or introduce the noun in a sentence. It is not
necessary that o determiner is used in the beginning of a sentence, rather it can be used
with nouns placed anywhere in the sentence.

Articles

Possessive
Determiners

Demonstrative
Determiners

Types of
Quantifiers
Determiners

Distributive
Determiners

Interrogative
Determiners

Wh- Determiners

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Articles:
Articles are used before nouns and may be called determiners. A, an and the are articles.
An article is a singular countable noun. Articles are of to types:

A. Indefinite Articles: A and an, are called indefinite articles because. They do not refer
to any particular person or thing. Example: I saw a cow in the ground. (here ‘a’ does
not denote any particular cow).
B. Definite Article: The is called definite article because it refers to a particular person
or thing. Example: The Sun sets in the west. (Here Sun is a particular object and west
is a direction).

Uses of the Indefinite Articles - A and An

1. ‘A' is placed before a consonant sound

Examples: I have purchased a new pen.
Nitin is a good boy.
2. "An' is placed before a vowel sound.
Examples: I have purchased an umbrella.
One must eat an apple daily to remain healthy
3. An' is used before the words beginning with a silent h.
Examples: Nitin is an honest man.
The work will start in an hour.
4. There are some words that start with a vowel letter but begin with a
consonant sound, then a article is used.
Examples: I saw a one-eyed man today.
A European is smart in look.
5. ‘A’ or ‘an' is used before the names of professions.
Examples: The company has hired an engineer recently Dr Trehan is a doctor.
6. ‘An' is used with abbreviations beginning with the letters having vowel sounds.
Examples: Mr. A.K. Tyagi is an M.P. of this Parliamentary constituency.
Mr Pritam is an M.A. in English.
7. In certain phrases, a or an are used.
Example: as a rule, on an average
8. 'A'is used before a proper noun to make it a common noun.
Example: He is a Shakespeare. (a dramatist)
9. 'A' or "an' is used in the sense of some, any or a single.
Example: He did not speak a single word in self-defence.

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 10.‘A’ or "an' is used in the sense of certainty.
Example: A stranger came and rang the bell.
11.'A' or 'an'is used in the numerical sense of one.
Example: I purchased a dozen pens.

Uses of the Definite Article - The

The is used:
 when we speak of things which are only of their kind.
Examples: The Sun, The Earth, The Moon
 Before the names of rivers
Examples: The Ganga, The Kaveri, The Godavari
 Before the holy books
Examples: The Gita, The Quran, The Bible
 Before the names of oceans
Examples: The Atlantic ocean covers approximately 17% of the Earth's surface and
about 24% of its water surface area.
 The is used before the names of directions.
Example: The Sun rises in the East.
 The is used before the newspapers, magazines or well-known books.
Example: The Times of India is highly circulated daily in India.
 The is used before a range of mountains.
Example: The Himalayas is one of the highest mountain ranges in the world.

Note: Many individual mountains do not have 'the' before them. Mountain
Everest, Mount Abu.
 The is used before the name of emperors, etc.
Example: The Emperor Ashoka was very noble by heart.
 The is used before the monuments, public buildings, etc.
Example: The Prime Minister unfurls the flag on the Independence Day on the Red
Fort.
 The is used before an adjective to make it a noun in the plural
Examples: The rich should help the needy.
Democracy is the rule of the people, by the people, and for the people
 The is used before an adjective in the superlative degree.
Example: Aman is the tallest boy in the class.
 The is used before a comparative adjective to denote selection out of two.

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 Example: Aman is the more brilliant of the two boys.
 The is used before an adjective to indicate an abstract idea.
Example: Aman is a lover of the good, the pure and the beautiful.
 We use the when it is clear from the context that a particular person or thing is
meant.
Example: Kalidas is known as the Shakespeare of India.
 The is used before a particular person or thing.
Example: The boy who came first in the class is my nephew.
 The is used before a singular noun that is used to represent the whole class of things
to which it belongs to.
Examples: The elephant is a big animal.
The camel is the ship of the desert.

Omission of the Articles

In the following things, articles should not be used.

 Before abstract nouns.

Example : Mumbai is the economic capital of India.
 Before material nouns
Example: Gold is a precious metal.
 Before a common noun used in its widest sense
Example: God is omnipotent.
 When countable nouns come in pairs.
Example: Brother and sister are noble by nature.
 Before the name of meals.
Example: Nitin invited me to dinner.
 Before a noun denoting rank, title, occupation, etc.
Example: Queen Elizabeth, Dr Radhakrishnan

Possessive Determiners
Possessive determiners are used to express possession or belongingness. They can be used
before singular and plural nouns also. My, our, your, his, her, its, their, etc. are possessive
determiners.

 Examples: I love my baby

 Your watch is very attractive.
 His brother is very smart.
 Her dog is very aggressive.

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  This building is very large; its elevator holds thirty people.
 This is our house Let me check your notebook.

Demonstrative Determiners
Those words which demonstrate as well as introduce the noun in the sentence are called
demonstrative determiners. This, that, these, those are demonstrative determiners.
This and these denote the things that are near and can be seen.

 Examples: This book contains beautiful illustrations.

 These days I’m trying to practise more.
That and those denote the things that are at a distance but can be seen easily.

 Examples: That man over there is my mentor.

 How much are those apples at the back?

Quantifiers
A quantifier is a determiner that expresses a relative or indefinite indication of a quantity. It
is used before a noun to indicate the amount or quantity. Much, many, some, any, more,
less, little, several, enough, no, etc.are quantifiers.
Examples:

 There is much milk n this cup.

 There are many students in this section.
 Some important documents are missing from this almirah.
 There is not any book on moral values in this bookstore.
 I would like more fruits in breakfast.
 Nayan was advised to smoke fewer cigarettes and drink less bear.
 There was little doubt in my mind.
 Several people knew where to go in this dense way.
 Is there enough room for me?
 I have no time to waste.

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Distributive Determiners
Distributive determiners refer to a group or to individual people or objects within a group.
They indicate how something is shared out or divided. Each, every, 'all, both, either,
neither, etc. are distributive determiners.
Examples:

 Each item was thoroughly checked at the airport.

 Every child received a present on the occasion of Diwali.
 All children need affection. Both the students were selected for scholarship.
 Either girl can win the singing competition.
 Neither meeting was successful.

Interrogative Determiners
The words that modify nouns or pronouns to ask questions are called interrogative
determiners What, whose and which are interrogative determiners.

 Examples: What novel will you purchase next?

 Whose watch looks costly?
 Which tourist destinations have you visited this time?

Wh-determiners
Whatever, whose, whichever, etc. are Wh-determiners.

 Examples: The house whose wall is painted blue belongs to me.

 It takes two hours, whichever route you take.
 Do whatever you like.

Ordinal Numerals
Ordinal numerals are words that represent position or rank in a sequential order. First,
second, third, fourth, etc. are called ordinal numerals.

 Examples: Nayan stood first in the class.

 Mayank spent the first three years in Patna.

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Cardinal Numerals
These are numbers that express quantity or "How many" of something are there.
One, two, three, four, five, etc. are cardinal numerals.
 Examples: Mayan has four watches.
 Ankit has two mobile phones

Test Yourself

A. Fill in the blanks with suitable article and cross (×) those where no article is needed.
1. This is_____________ most beautiful painting.
2. _____________orange grows on _____________ tree.
3. _____________ boy who stood first was given a prize
4. _________teacher wrote_________ outline of________ story on_________
blackboard.
5. Discipline is__________ act of love.
6. With_________ rise in population the problems of_________ commuters are
on_________ rise.
7. _________concept of homemade food should be popularised
8. _________society in the country is undergoing___________ period of major change.
9. _________life is full of challenges.
10._________reading section comprises three unseen passages.
11.When will _________debate competition be held?
12._______apple______ day keeps__________ doctor away.
13.Margie liked___________ older kind of schools very much.
14.Have you ever seen__________ dog _________ cat or a bird looking into mirror?
15.______________ arrogant lion was wandering through ____________ forest one
day.

B. Fill in the blanks with suitable determiners.

1. Do you know ____________ sweater is this? (whom/whose)
2. Nayan has ___________ pens than I do. (many/more)
3. We should spend ____________ money on things we don’t need. (fewer/less)
4. The __________ mistakes you make, the better your work will be. (less/ fewer)
5. ___________ people are waiting outside the concert hall. (many/more)
6. The mobile belongs to ____________. (her/hers)
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 7. I had ____________ rice today. (enough/all)
8. ____________ boys were called to the principal’s office. (any/some)
9. ____________ morning, he went for swimming in the sea. (every/some)
10.Last week, ____________ of our friends went to see the jumbo circus. (some/many)
11.I could not finish my work as I had ____________ time on my hands. (little/few)
12.Not __________ is known about that temple. (much/many)

C. Fill in the blanks with suitable determiners using the alternatives given below:
1. Last month, I went to visit (a) ___________international Book Fair at Pragati
Maidan, New Delhi. I purchased (b) ____________books. (c) _____________ of
them were interesting story books and novels. I also purchased books which had
(d) ______________ of quizzes.
(a) (i) a (ii) the (iii) an (iv) some
(b) (i) much (ii) most (iii) more (iv) many
(c) (i) most (ii) none (iii) some (iv) all
(d) (i) few (ii) a lot (iii) none (iv) much

D. Fill in the blanks choosing the correct determiners from the given options.
1. Population of (a) _____________ country is increasing in disproportionate manner.
If we do not adopt (b) ____________ effective policy (c) ____________ day will
come when it will explode and destroy (d) ____________ things that we have
achieved by hard labour.
(a) (i) ours (ii) our (iii) any (iv) many
(b) (i) many (ii) much (iii) some (iv) any
(c) (i) a (ii) an (iii) the (iv) few
(d) (i) the (ii) a (iii) an (iv) that

2. Climate change refers to (a) ____________ change in the environmental conditions

of the earth. It happens due to (b) ____________ internal and external factors. The
climate change has become (c) _____________ global concern over the last (d)
______________ decades.
(a) (i) a (ii) an (iii) the (iv) few
(b) (i) much (ii) many (iii) more (iv) few
(c) (i) a (ii) an (iii) the (iv) x
(d) (i) few (ii) more (iii) many (iv) much

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3. (a) _____________ Indian education system is quite an old education system (b)
_______________still exists. It has produced so (c) _____________ genius minds
that are making India proud all over the world. While it is (d) ____________ of the
oldest education systems, it is still not that developed when compared to others,
which are in fact newer.
(a) (i) A (ii) An (iii) The (iv) X
(b) (i) this (ii) that (iii) these (iv) those
(c) (i) much (ii) more (iii) many (iv) few
(d) (i) one (ii) two (iii) three (iv) four

4. In India, child labour is (a) ____________ burning issue with (b) ____________
underlying socio-economic causes. Social standards, poverty, and illiteracy (c)
______________ play a part in (d) ___________ continuation of child labour.
(a) (i) a (ii) an (iii) the (iv) X
(b) (i) few (ii) much (iii) many (iv) more
(c) (i) all (ii) few (iii) the (iv) more
(d) (i) a (ii) an (iii) the (iv) much