Determiners in English: A simple guide for learners

Dialogue

Emma: I bought some apples and a banana from the store.

Liam: That’s great! Did you see any oranges?

Emma: No, there weren’t any left. But I got this mango and those grapes.

Liam: Oh! I love that fruit. How much did the apples cost?

Emma: Each apple was one dollar, and every banana was fifty cents.

Liam: That’s a good price! Let’s eat our fruit now.

She bought some apples and a banana from the store.

What are determiners?

Determiners are words used before a noun to give more information about it. They tell us which one, how many, or whose it is.

Types of Determiners:

  1. Articles (a, an, the)

    • Use a or an for general things. Example: I saw a dog.

    • Use the for specific things. Example: I saw the dog you told me about.

  2. Demonstratives (this, that, these, those)

    • Use this (singular) and these (plural) for things close to you. Example: I like this book.

    • Use that (singular) and those (plural) for things far away. Example: I want that hat.

  3. Quantifiers (some, any, many, much, few, little, each, every, all)

    • Some and any show an unspecified amount. Example: I have some sugar.

    • Many and much show a large amount. Example: I have many friends.

    • Few and little show a small amount. Example: There are few eggs left.

    • Each and every mean all things separately. Example: Each student got a book.

  4. Possessives (my, your, his, her, its, our, their)

    • Show ownership. Example: This is my pen.

Practice

Fill in the blanks with the correct determiner:

  1. I saw ___ elephant at the zoo. (a/an/the)

  2. She likes ___ flowers in the garden. (this/these/that)

  3. Do you have ___ sugar? (some/any/much)

  4. ___ students must bring their books. (Each/Every/Few)

  5. We love ___ new house. (our/their/his)

Answers: 1. an, 2. these, 3. any, 4. Each, 5. our

Summary

  • Articles (a, an, the) help identify nouns.

  • Demonstratives (this, that, these, those) show distance.

  • Quantifiers (some, many, few, etc.) tell quantity.

  • Possessives (my, your, their, etc.) show ownership.

Practice using determiners in your daily conversations!

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