Determiners

◊ GRAMMAR

A determiner is a word used in front of a noun to indicate whether you are referring to a specific thing or just to something of a particular type. There are two types of determiners: specific determiners and general determiners.

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◊ specific determiners

You use specific determiners when the person you are talking to will know which person or thing you are referring to. The specific determiners are:

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• the definite article: `the'

The man began to run towards the boy.

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• demonstratives: `this', `that', `these', `those'

How much is it for that big box?

Young people don't like these operas.

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• possessive determiners: `my', `your', `his', `her', `its', `our', `their'

I'd been waiting a long time to park my car.

Her face was very red.

See entries at the individual words and at ↑ Possessive determiners.

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◊ general determiners

You use general determiners when you are mentioning people or things for the first time, or talking about them generally without saying exactly which ones you mean.

There was a man in the lift.

You can stop at any time you like.

There were several reasons for this.

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The general determiners are:

a, a few, a little, all, an, another, any, both, each, either , enough, every, few, fewer, less, little, many, more, most, much, neither, no, other, several, some

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For more information about general determiners, see entries at the individual words, and entry at ↑ Quantity.

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◊ related pronouns

Most words used as determiners are also used as pronouns.

This is a very complex issue.

Have you got any that I could borrow?

There is enough for all of us.

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However, `the', `a', `an', `every', `no', `other', and the possessive determiners cannot be used as pronouns. You use `one' as a pronoun instead of `a' or `an', `each' instead of `every', `none' instead of `no', and `others' instead of `other'.

Have you got one?

Each has a separate box and number.

There are none left.

Some stretches of road are more dangerous than others.

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