In-depth details about determiners

1. Determiners
For Class X

2. Articles & Determiners
• A determiner is a word or a group of words
that specifies, identifies, or quantifies the
noun or noun phrase that follows it.
• The type of determiner used depends on the
type of noun.
• Singular Nouns - always needs a determiner
• Plural Nouns - the determiner is optional
• Uncountable Nouns - the determiner is also
optional

3. Articles & Determiners
• There are about 50 different determiners in the English
language they include:
• Articles - a, an, the
• Demonstrative Adjectives- this, that, these, those,
which etc.
• Possessive Adjectives - my, your, our, their, his,
hers, whose, my friend's, our friends', etc.
• Quantifiers -few, a few, many, much, each, every,
some, any etc.
• Numerals - one, two, three, twenty, forty
• Ordinals - first, second, 1st 2nd, 3rd, last, next, etc.

4. The Articles
• The words a, an and the are called the articles.
• The words a and an are indefinite articles because they don’t refer
to a particular person, animal or thing:
• A is used with singular countable nouns starting with consonant
sounds.
• John is reading a book.
• Would you like a peach?
• Is that a dog or a fox?
• You’ll need a ruler and a pencil.
• An is used with singular countable nouns starting with vowel
sounds.
• Is there also an entrance at the back of the building?
• Have you ever seen an elephant?
• I always take an apple to school.
• Do you have an umbrella that I can borrow?

5. The Articles
• Uses:
• Before singular countable noun when it is mentioned for
the first time:
• He saw a parrot in a tree.
• I bought an umbrella yesterday.
• Before a singular countable noun representing a class of
things:
• A dog is a faithful animal.
• A cow has horns.
• In Expression of price, speed etc.
• Milk costs fifty rupees a kilogram.
• I drove my car at fifty kilometres an hour.

6. • To denotes certain things:
• Sixty kilometres is a long distance.
• Birds of a feather flock together.
• Only a Newton can answer this question.
• Some vowels have a consonant sound as well as a
vowel sound. Use the article a with nouns that begin
with these vowels:
• Is there a university in your town?
• Does every child in the school wear a uniform?
• We are taking a European vacation this summer.
• Some words begin with a silent h. Use an with nouns
that begin with a silent h:
• We’ve been waiting here for an hour.
• Meeting the president was an honour for all of us.

7. The is called the definite article because it refers to a
particular person, place or thing
• Uses:
• ‘The’ used when we speak of a thing already mentioned,
or a particular thing or one well known-thing to us:
• This the book that he promised to me.
• I went to the bus stand in the morning.
• The Principal is on the leave today.
• ‘The’ used before a common noun in the singular noun to
indicate the whole class:
• The lion is the king of the lion.
• The Elephant is a big animal.
• ‘The’ is used before the names of unique things:
• The earth moves round the sun.
• The moon shines in the sky.

8. • The’ is used before some proper nouns i.e the names of well-
known things/ sacred books/ Newspapers/ Trains and well -
known buildings:
• The Ramayana is a great epic.
• I love the Tribune.
• The Kalka Express is running behind its schedule.
• The Red Fort is in Delhi.
• ‘The’ is used before the names of rivers, seas, group of islands,
a chain of mountains, deserts, plural names of countries, etc:
• Names of Rivers: The Ganga, The Yamuna
• Names of Seas: The Arabian Sea, The Black Sea
• Names of Oceans: The Indian Ocean, The Atlantic Ocean
• Names of Group of Island: The Andman Nicobar Islands,
• The Chain of Mountains: The Himalayas, The Andes
• Names of deserts: The Sahara, The Gobi
• Plural Names of countries: The United States of America, The
United Kingdom

9. • Before adjectives of in the superlative degree:
• Today is the coldest day of the season.
• Mr Sam is the richest man in the area.
• Before words indicating number, weight, and measure to
express the idea of rate:
• Oranges are sold by the dozen, mangoes are sold by the
kilogram.
• Before the parts of the body in place of a possessive
adjective:
• I seized him by the neck.
• He stuck me on the back.

10. • Before comparatives used in specific context:
• The more, the merrier.
• The higher you go, the cooler it is.
• Before nouns which refer to the names of a country
collectively, but not before the names of their languages:
• The Russians sent up the first earth satellite.
• The English often fought the French.
• More people in India know English than French

11. The omission of the articles
• Before a noun used in its widest sense:
• Man is mortal.
• Fruit is very dear these days.
• Before the names of languages, art and sciences,
subjects, diseases, games and festivals:
• Hindi is our national language.
• Painting is my hobby.
• He is not interested in Chemistry.
• Cancer is a fatal disease.
• Before meals
• I take fruits in breakfast.
• We love to dinner at home on weekends.

12. Insert a or anRecapitulation Time
• ARTICLES Exercises Indefinite article
1. This is .......... orange.
2. That is ......... book.
3.This is .......... hospital.
4.That is .......... egg.
5.He is eating .......... apple.
6.This is .......... umbrella.
7.That is ......... university.
8. I'll be away for ........... hour.
9. What ......... nice day!
10............ horse is ........... animal.

13. Fill in the blanks with article ‘the’
1. ΊΙ study .......... history of Crete next year.
2. .......... History is an interesting subject.
3. ......... water in your glass is hot.
4. He always drinks ........... cold water.
5. She lives on .......... bridge street.
6.......... Mississippi river is ............. longest river in ....... world.
7. A lot of ships cross ........... Pacific Ocean.
8. We drink .......... tea out of ........... cups.
9. ......... tea in this cup is too cold.
10. For me breakfast is .,............ best meal of ....... day.
Recapitulation Time

14. Put a, an, the, where necessary
1.Napoleon ......... great was born in Corsica.
2. ..........best coffee comes from ...........Mocha .......... town in
......... Arabia.
3. ............ Alps are .......... longest mountain in Europe.
4. .......... Aegean Sea is usually rough.
5. He fell and was taken to ....... hospital.
6. We must help ....... poor.
7. This is made in .......... United Kingdom.
8. .......... Americans like whisky but ............ Germans prefer
beer.
9. .......... silver is one of the heaviest metals.
10. ........., students must work hard.

15. Determiners :Some and Any
• Some and any are used before plural or uncountable nouns:
• Some is used in affirmative sentences:
• I have some pencils. I have some tea.
• Some is used in an interrogative sentences when the question is
really a request or an invitation:
• Will you lend me some books, please? (request)
• Will you have some tea? (invitation)
• Some can also be used when the answer ‘Yes’ is expected:
• Have you some apples?
• Any is used in negative sentences:
• I haven’t any milk. I haven’t any pens.
• Any is used in interrogative sentences when we are not sure of the
answer:
• Have you any money? Have you any rare books?

16. Determiners : each & every
• Each can be used for two or more
persons/ things while every is not normally
used for very small numbers:
• Two boys came in. Each boy carried
books.
• Every boy in our class has done his work.

17. Determiners few, a few, the few
• Few means not many or hardly any:
• It is sad that he has few friends.
• A few means some:
• It is good that he has at least a few
friends.
• The few means not many but all of them:
• He has lost the few friends he had

18. Determiners little, a little, the little
• Little means hardly any:
• He cannot lend you anything because he
has little money.
• A little means some but not much:
• Please do forgive me a little milk to
prepare tea.
• The little means not much but all of that
much:
• The cat drank away the little milk that was
in the pot.

19. Recapitulation
Fill in the blanks with little, a little, the little, few, a few, the few,
any, some, many.
1. Have you got ___ news from Scotland?
2. I think she has forgotten ___ of her own poems. Last time when I met
her she didn’t remember all of them.
3. Do ____ of you remember our science teacher?
3. I have many friends in Canada but ____ in India. I don’t know why.
4.There is _____ wine left for the guests. What a mismanaging, dear?
5.Have you got ____ information from the school?
6. ____ friends of mine are planning to celebrate my birthday in a grand
way.
7. ____ of the pupil was given a nickname.
8. She loves ____ human being, whether he be a king, or a beggar.
9. There was ____ water left in the jar so she thought of getting some
from the well.
10.____ of the time I think of death that will come one day.