‘Determiners’ are used before a noun to ‘determine’ the character of the noun – in particular, how ‘definite’ or ‘general’ a noun it is, and whether it is ‘one’ or ‘more than one’. When you use a noun, you have the choice of using it in one of three possible states.
1. You can use the noun without any determiner at all.
• in the singular, if it is a proper noun
• in the singular, if it is an uncountable noun
• in the plural, if it is a countable noun
Ex:-Boston is on the east coast.
-I can hear music.
-Tigers have black stripes.
When you use a plural countable noun without a determiner, you are seeing the noun in a general way – ‘tigers in general’.
2. You can use the noun with either of the ‘articles’, a or the:
• use a with singular countable nouns
• use the with singular countable nouns
• use the with plural countable nouns
• use the with uncountable nouns
I can see a car.
I can see the car.
I can see the cars.
I can see the water.
The articles are the most common determiners in English. Their main job is to say whether the noun is ‘definite’ or ‘indefinite’.
3. You can use the noun with one of the other determiners. This adds a further meaning to the noun. For example:
determiner __adds the meaning of
my book__________________________‘possession’ (also our, his, her etc)
this book________________________‘nearness to the speaker’ (also plural these)
that book________________________‘distance from the speaker’ (also plural those)
some books_______________________‘quantity’ (also any)
enough books_____________________‘sufficiency’
each book________________________‘item by item’ (also every)
either book______________________‘one of two’ (also neither)
no book__________________________‘absence’
what book________________________‘unknown item’ (also which, whose etc)
You cannot use two determiners at the same time. Don’t say things like ‘the this car’, ‘my an apple’, or ‘some the cups’.
You can use other words or phrases expressing quantity in front of a determiner to make the meaning of the noun phrase more exact.
NOTE: (of) shows that you can leave out the word of.
all (of) the people | both (of) the cats | half (of) the golddouble the amount | twice the cost | a third of the peoplea few of the cars | half (of) that cake | some of those cakes
You can also add certain quantity words after the determiner. They include the numerals, as well as a few general expressions of quantity.
Ex:-The three kittens were playing on the floor.
-I’ve just taken my fourth examination.
-He bought it on one of his many trips abroad.
If you want to add adjectives to the noun phrase (see Word order), they always follow any determiners or other quantity expressions.
Ex:-the three little kittens
-my fourth difficult examination
-his many interesting trips
WHEN TO USE ‘A’ AND ‘THE’
A and the are called ‘the articles’. A is called ‘the indefinite article’, and the is called ‘the definite article’. They are used in the following ways:
1. The main use of a and the is to say whether you are talking about a noun for the first time, or whether you have mentioned it before. For a first–time mention, use a; for later mentions, use the.
Ex:-Mary bought a car and a bike, but she used the bike more often.
2. If you use the with a noun that you have not mentioned before, you are actually saying to your listener ‘you know which one I mean’. This is usually because there is only one example of the noun in the situation, or you have only one such example in your mind. That is why it is ‘definite’.
Ex:-Have you fed the cat? (=you have only one cat)
-There’s the hotel. (=that is the hotel we have been looking for)
-I met him during the war. (=both you and your listener know which war you mean)
-Pass the salt, please.
3. If you want to talk about something of a particular type in an indefinite way, use a.
Ex:-I’m training to be an engineer.
| NOT | I’m training to be engineer.
-I went out to buy a newspaper.
| NOT | I went out to buy newspaper.
4. Use a when you are talking about one of several things or people and it is not important to say which one. Use the when it is clear that you are talking about one particular thing or person and there is only one.
Ex:-A man I work with told me about it. (=you work with several men)
-The man I work with told me about it. (=you work with only one man)
5. You must use the with singular nouns such as world, sky, or sun, because there is only one of these things in the situation that you are talking about.
Ex:-We’re going to travel round the world.
-Don’t look directly at the sun
6. If you are talking about buildings, places, and organizations as things which you often see or visit, use the. For example: the bank, the theatre, the cinema etc.
Ex:-I went to the theatre last week.
-She’s at the gym.
When a is used before a word that begins with a vowel, it changes to an.
WHEN NOT TO USE ‘A’ OR ‘THE’
1. If you want to use a countable noun in the plural to talk in general about something, don’t use the.
Ex:-Tigers are very fierce animals.
-Prices keep going up.
2. If you want to use an uncountable noun to talk in general about something, don’t use the.
Ex:-There has been a big increase in crime.
| NOT | There has been a big increase in the crime.
-It takes patience and skill to be a teacher.
| NOT | It takes the patience and the skill to be a teacher.
3. Most names of places or people that begin with a capital letter do not have the before them. Don’t use the with these names.
Ex:-They’re visiting Belgium and Holland.
| NOT | They’re visiting the Belgium and the Holland.
However, there are some names that always have the in them, for example the United States, the Nile (=the big river in Egypt) etc. Don’t forget to put the in these names.
Ex:-He’s from the United States.
| NOT | He’s from United States.
There are also many common nouns and phrases which are not used with a or the. This is especially true when talking about meals, illnesses, ways of travelling, times, and periods of time.
Will you have lunch with me? | NOT | Will you have the lunch with me?Her mother has cancer. | NOT | Her mother has the cancer.I travel to work by bus. | NOT | I travel to work by the bus.In winter we get a lot of snow. | NOT | In winter we get a lot of the snow.It’s time to go to bed. | NOT | It’s time to go to the bed.We got up at dawn. | NOT | We got up at the dawn.
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