Determiners

By Miss Poly

What are determiners?

Determiners are words that come BEFORE nouns or AT THE BEGINNING of noun clauses. They help to show WHICH or HOW MANY things are being talked about.

Determiners table 1
every, each few, a few, many little, a little, much + singular countable noun + plural noun + uncountable noun

all, most, some, any, no

+ countable or uncountable noun

Every step they performed was perfect. A few students went to the recital. I used a little sugar to make the cake. Some people saw the accident. (countable) There was some water on the table. (uncountable)

Singular

vs. Plural

Singular noun: One item (one apple, a watch, one person, an orange)

Plural noun: More than one item. (three apples, some watches, three people)

Countable

vs.

Uncountable

Countable: Nouns that can be counted. (One hour, two hours, three hours One person, two people, three people One child, two children, three children) Uncountable: Nouns that can not be counted. ex: milk, water, paper, money, time, etc. Uncountable nouns are always SINGULAR!

Each

vs.

Every

Each and Every are followed by a singular countable noun. Each pencil has got a different colour. Every pencil can be put in this box.

Each is used when all the people or things it refer to are seen individually. / TO SEPARATE Every is used to refer to all the people or things (as a group) / TO GENERALIZE
Each can be used to talk about two or more things or people.

Every can only be used to talk about three or more.

ex. SHE HAD A SMALL TATOO ON EACH HAND. (Weve got only two hands. You cannot use every in this sentence)

Few

vs.

A few

Few and a few are followed by a PLURAL NOUN Few has a negative meaning:
Few people came to the concert. It was very disappointing. ( emphasis on the smallness of the number or quantity)

A few has a neutral or positive meaning: I had some milk and a few biscuits for breakfast.

Little

vs.

A little

Little and a little are followed by an UNCOUNTABLE NOUN Litte has a negative meaning, while a little has a neutral or positive meaning. Shes got little money and no future. Ive got a little money. Lets go out tonight!

Many

vs.

Much

Many is used with countable nouns. Much is used with uncountable nouns. There arent many people here. How many friends have you made? I havent got much time to work. How much money have you got?

Determiners table 2
All, most, some, any, (a) few, (a) little, OF the, a/an my, your, etc. this, that, etc. us, it, them, you, etc. + noun

much, many, each,

every one, none

Remember: The same rules in table 1 apply to the nouns and pronouns that follow the determiner. e.g. Much of + uncountable noun (much of the water)

We use determiners with OF before another determiner and a noun

Example: A few of my friends came to the party.

All of the milk has been drunk.

No and Every + OF
We cannot use no or every with of.
No changes to NONE. None of my classmates brought paper. Every changes to EVERY ONE. Every one of the students passed the exam.

Choose the correct word.

Most / Most of the people enjoy the cinema.

Some / Some of mordern art is difficult to understand.

A few / A few of my friends are going to art college. Eleanor didnt like any / any of those portraits. Isabelle looked through every / every one of the postcards before she bought one. They had no / none time to buy souvenirs. They spent a little / a little of their pocket money on sweets. There wasnt much / much of the play left by the time they arrived.

Choose the correct word.

Most / Most of the people enjoy the cinema.

Some / Some of mordern art is difficult to understand.

A few / A few of my friends are going to art college. Eleanor didnt like any / any of those portraits. Isabelle looked through every / every one of the postcards before she bought one. They had no / none time to buy souvenirs. They spent a little / a little of their pocket money on sweets. There wasnt much / much of the play left by the time they arrived.

 No of the conductors came to the auditorium yesterday. He hasnt saved many money.

Correct the mistakes in these sentences.

I learnt every of the determiners.

There was a little people in the concert. Im really disappointed. Only a few students study for the test. Every of them felt sorry about the car accident.

My sister hasnt got some pencils.

None No of the conductors came to the auditorium yesterday.

much money. He hasnt saved many Every I learnt every of the determiners. one few people in the concert. There was a little

Correct the mistakes in these sentences.

Im really disappointed. Only afew few students study for the test. Every of them felt sorry about the car accident. one
any pencils. My sister hasnt got some
Every

For extra practice go to your workbook. Page 87.