Determiners
Determiners are fixing words. They precede “nouns” and help to identify or limit them. For example : This boy. Boy is a noun and “this” precedes it. “This” is the determiner. Its use has limited the noun “boy”.This boy means — this boy only, nobody else.
Kinds of Determiner
1. Articles Definite : the
Indefinite : a, an
2. Numeral Definite : One, two, three, first, second, third, etc.
Indefinite : All, some, no, many, few, several, plenty, more, etc.
3. Possessive My, our, your, his, her, its, their, etc.
4. Quantitative Much, little, no, some any, enough, sufficient, all, whole, half, etc.
5. Demonstrative Definite : The, this, that, these, those, such, same, etc.
Indefinite : A, an, any, some, other, certain, etc.
Use of Determiners
1. Few : It is an adjective of Number.
Difference in the meaning and use of few, a few and the few
Difference in the meaning and use of few, a few and the few
(a) Few : It is a Negative Adjective. It is used in the sense of not many.
(b) A few : It is an Affirmative Adjective. It is used in the sense of some at least.
(c) The few : It implies two statements, one Negative and the other Affirmative. It indicates
the Whole of any particular number.
the Whole of any particular number.
Examples :
- He makes few mistakes. = It means that he does not make many mistakes.
- He makes a few mistakes. = It means that he does make some mistakes at least.
- He makes the few mistakes. = It means that he did not make many mistakes and I corrected all of them.
The last sentence implies two statements :
(a) Negative : The mistakes he had made were not many.
(b) Affirmative : I corrected all the mistakes he had made.
2. Little: It is an adjective of quantity.
Difference in the meaning and use of little, a little and the little.
a. Little: It is a negative adjective. It is used in the sense of ‘not much’.
b. A little: It is an affirmative adjective. It is used in the sense of ‘some at least’.
c. The little:It implies two statements, one Negative and the other Affirmative.
Examples:
a. She has little water. = (It means she doesn’t have much water.)
b. She has a little water. = (It means she has some water at least.)
c. She drank the little water I have. = (It means I don’t have much water she drank all of it. This sentence implies two statements.) < /div>
a. Negative:The milk I have was not much.
b. Affirmative:She drank all the water I have.
3. Many: It is an adjective of number and used with plural countable nouns.
Many a man: Many x one man = Many men. In respect of meaning there is no difference
between Many and Many a. The only difference is that many is used with a noun and verb
in the plural and many a is used with a noun and verb in the singular.
between Many and Many a. The only difference is that many is used with a noun and verb
in the plural and many a is used with a noun and verb in the singular.
Example:
a. Many teachers have attended the meeting.
b. Many a teacher has attended the meeting.
c. Many children are strong and talented in the class.
d. Many a child is strong and talented in the class.
4. Much: It is an adjective of quantity and used with uncountable nouns.
Example:
a. She never drinks much milk.
b. There is not much food in the store.
5. Less: It is an adjective of quantity and used with uncountable nouns. It is very rarely used as the comparative of ‘little’. It is an independent comparative. It has, in fact, no positive degree.
Example:
a. Don’t think it has less importance.
b. They have less money than you.
Questions for Practice
Q1. Complete the following passage by filling in suitable determiners.
___1_____abbreviation is ____2____ shortened form of a word or ___3____ group of words. It is used to save time and space. ____4________ abbreviations are also used while speaking. Most of ___5____ dictionaries include ___6___ list of commonly used abbreviations.
Q2. Complete the following passage by filling in suitable determiners.
My aunt lived on ____1____ ground floor of ____2_____ old house on ____3_____ river Thames. She was afraid of burglars and always locked up ____4______ carefully before going to bed. She also took precaution of looking under ____5_____bed to see if _____6_____ burglar was hiding there.
Q3. Complete the following passage by filling in suitable determiners.
Two friends were waiting for the bus. Suddenly _____1___ elderly woman came up to them and said, “Children buy me ___2____ ticket. I don’t have ____3____ money.” They bought her a ticket. She went on: “Help me onto ___4____bus.” They did as she asked. “Now children, help me find a seat, I can’t stand up for ____5____ whole journey”. They found her ____6_____empty seat next to ____7____ elderly gentleman who immediately got up.
“Wait a minute,” he yelled, “Let me get out of here before she asks you to find her ____8____ husband.
Q4. Complete the following passage by filling in suitable determiners.
A pressure cooker is a vessel in which food is cooked in steam under pressure. It consists of ____1_____ very strong vessel, made of aluminum alloy with _____2_____ lid that fits tightly on ____3_____top. ___4____lid can be sealed on to ____5____vessel by means of _____6_____ rubber ring.
Q5. Complete the following sentences by filling in suitable determiners.
a. He makes ____________ mistakes.
b. ___________ knowledge is a dangerous thing.
c. __________ of what you say is true.
d. Don’t think it has__________ importance.
e. He hasn’t solved___________ question.
f. I shall be away for _________ time.
Q6. Complete the following dialogue by filling in suitable determiners.
John: Have you ever visited ____1_____ circus?
Mak: Oh! I am very fond of seeing _____2______ circus. Last year I saw ____3______ Great Gemini Circus.
John: How do you like it? Did ____4____brother go with you?
Mak: I liked it very much. I saw it ______5______. My brother also visited with me. There were _____6____ sections in the circus.
John: Can you tell me _____7_____of them?
Mak: In the ____8_____section, there appeared ____9____ clown. Then ____10______ girls danced on the rope. _____11______ petrol burning scene was _____12_____ exciting. We liked the circus very much.
John: Thank you. Do spare _____13_____ time for me after_____14_______examinations are over.
Mak: All right. Thank you.
Answers
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Q. No.
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1
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2
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3
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4
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5
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6
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7
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8
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Q1.
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an
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a
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a
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some
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the
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a
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||
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Q2.
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a
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an
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the
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the
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the
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any
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||
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Q3.
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an
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a
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any
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the
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the
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an
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an
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a
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Q4.
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a
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a
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the
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the
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the
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a
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||
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Q5.
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a few
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a little
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much
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less
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any
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some
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||
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Q6.
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a
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a
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the
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your
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twice
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many
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some
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first
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a
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some
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the
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much
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some
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the
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