What Is a Determiner? Definition and Examples

Imagine for a moment if current English had expressions such as these:

Raymond has been looking for notebook.

Does Busara have shoe?

The baseball team will not board plane.

Aside from sounding primitive, these sentences leave us with potentially incomplete information. For example, in the first sentence, has Raymond been looking for any notebook or a specific notebook?

To be clear in our communication, we often need information beyond a noun alone (notebook, shoe, plane). A grammatical unit that helps us focus understanding is the determiner.

What Is a Determiner?

A determiner is a word that precedes a noun to further explain it. It tells us something more about the noun, such as its quantity, ownership, definiteness, or identity.

Determiners help us establish whether we are communicating about something specific or general, singular or plural, or near or far in terms of distance or time.

Determiners are also known as limiting adjectives because where descriptive adjectives enhance a noun by adding information, determiners subtract it to make the noun more specific.

For example, the following phrases include descriptive adjectives modifying nouns.

blue, creased notebook

laced leather shoe

large corporate plane

They tell us about the notebook, shoe, and plane by adding information (blue, creased; laced leather; large corporate).

Now let’s look at the same nouns with determiners that limit the context to clarify our understanding.

Raymond has been looking for a notebook.

Does Busara have the shoe?

The baseball team will not board that plane.

By adding a determiner to each sentence, we are now more aware that:

Raymond is looking for a notebook in general, not for a particular one.

We are asking if Busara has a particular shoe, not just any shoe.

The baseball team objects to boarding a particular plane, not all planes.

We see that descriptive adjectives and determiners both come before nouns but their functions for us differ. Descriptive adjectives add details for noun qualities; determiners narrow the noun scope for greater definition.

Descriptive Adjective: My favorite color is blue.
Determiner: I like this shade of blue.

Descriptive Adjective: Shane collects sports cars.
Determiner: Which car does Shane drive most?

Descriptive Adjective: Aaliyah likes dark-haired dogs.
Determiner: Aaliyah has three dogs.

Types of Determiners

Determiners can often be categorized in four primary groups: articles, demonstratives, possessives, and quantifiers. Being familiar with each group helps us use determiners with greater precision in our writing.

Articles (specific or nonspecific reference)
a, an, the

Jean-Pierre has a midnight deadline.

Would you like an apple to eat?

Stephanie has seen the movie you’d recommended.

Demonstratives (location, proximity, specificity)
this, that, these, those

This lasagna lacks flavor.

Jasmine said she applied for that position.

Marisol prefers those gloves for winter.

Possessives (ownership, belonging)
my, your, his, her, its, our, their, whose

I should be done building my spaceship next month.

Leora wants time to finish her essay.

Is it our responsibility to shovel snow?

Quantifiers (general amount, quantity)
e.g., most, much, any, more, some

Tomasz provides most consultations on weekends.

Forward any referrals to human resources staff.

This room needs more air freshener.

Determiners also can be classified as distributive, numeric, interrogative, and relative.

Distributive (separate or collective inclusion)
each, every, both, all

Each estimate has been reviewed by the panel. (separate inclusion)

The panel has reviewed both estimates. (collective inclusion)

Numeric (cardinal or ordinal values)
e.g., one, two, three; first, second, third

Shane owns four cars. (cardinal)

Shane’s 1972 Chevy Camaro won second place for people’s choice. (ordinal)

Interrogative and Relative (questions; specificity to introduce a dependent clause)
what, which, whose, whichever, whatever

What approach to compromise is Bettina taking?

Whose sledgehammers are on the lawn?

The director will determine which account they will charge for trade shows.

You may ride whichever camel you choose.

More About Determiners

The following are other aspects to note about using determiners.

Determiners: Subject Complements
Different from descriptive adjectives, determiners typically cannot be used as subject complements.

Our Maine Coon cat is fluffy.

Our Maine Coon cat is a.

The first sentence includes a descriptive adjective as a subject complement. The second replaces the descriptive adjective with an article determiner and makes no sense.

An exception to determiners as subject complements can be certain contexts in which a quantifying determiner serves a noun role as opposed to an adjectival one:

His personal virtues are many.

Determiners: Indispensable Words
Standard adjectives can often be excluded from a sentence without altering its central meaning.

The blue bird is flying over the house.

The bird is flying over the house.

Conversely, removing determiners also purges clarity and good form.

Bird is flying over house.

Exceptions to this may be contexts that include certain plural and uncountable nouns.

Josaiah plays horseshoes.

Talisa likes painting.

Vinh saves money.

These sentences communicate without the need for determiners. When a noun can appear without one, we have a context referred to as a zero determiner.

Determiners and Descriptive Adjectives Together

Now we can distinguish determiners from descriptive adjectives, we can also recognize the colorfully defining ways they work together throughout communication.

The aquatic life in the city exhibit has many marvels to behold.

I’d be more apt to agree if you included those Lakers tickets in this deal.

Golden sunshine lighted her way as she prepared to start her first day.

Pop Quiz

Identify the determiners in the following sentences.

1. Sebastian heard the heavenly music wading through their open window.

2. You can’t keep leaving those boots on the floor whichever way you like.

3. First place is an exciting achievement for many beginners.

4. Whose rake is in my car?

5. Analia doesn’t believe she needs that type of insurance coverage for both jet skis.

 

Pop Quiz Answers

1. Sebastian heard the heavenly music wading through their open window.

2. You can’t keep leaving those boots on the floor whichever way you like.

3. First place is an exciting achievement for many beginners.

4. Whose rake is in my car?

5. Analia doesn’t believe she needs that type of insurance for both jet skis.

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