Determiners
The part of speech known as determiners is a little more complicated so this article will be longer than normal.
What is a determiner?
A determiner is a word that gives more information about a noun. You could say that it modifies a noun. This definition sounds a lot like the definition of an adjective. It is true that both adjectives and determiners modify nouns and give additional information about them. Determiners however give more specific information and follow certain rules.
The simplest definition I could find, from the site Twinkl is as follows:
Determiners, in English grammar, are a type of word that comes before a noun to introduce it and provide additional information about the quantity and proximity of the noun.
There are also four types of determiners.
Articles
Demonstratives
Quantifiers
Possessives
Okay. That is a lot of theory now onto actual sentences.
The drill is on the floor. “The” is the determiner here both times it appears in the sentence. It is also an article, specifically the definite article indicating that we are talking about a specific drill.
This screwdriver is the last one. “This” is the determiner. This is also in the class of words known as demonstratives and tells us that the screwdriver we are talking about is in close proximity to us.
We have many allen keys but none of them are the right size. “Many” is the determiner here. It is also a quantifier. It gives the sense that there are a lot of the noun being discussed.
You have my screwdriver. “My” is the determiner here. It is also acting as a possessive. We are told who possesses the screwdriver.
There are a lot of screwdrivers in that picture. “A lot of” and “that” are the determiners here. “A lot of” is a quantifier because it tells about the quantity or gives a sense of the number. “That” is a demonstrative determiner because it gives us information about the proximity of the noun being spoken about.
If you have any questions leave a comment or send me an email at doug@English-With-Doug.com.