A determiner is a part of speech (POS), and parts of speech are incredibly important in writing. Each part of speech fulfills a purpose in a sentence, and not all parts of speech are created equal. Some parts of speech make our writing stronger while others make it weaker. So we must be careful using them.
In this blog post, we will discuss the definition of a determiner, provide examples, and list them so that you can start using them in your own writing.
So, what exactly is an interjection? Let's find out!
A determiner is a word that modifies a noun or pronoun, making it more specific. Determiners include articles (a, an, the), demonstrations (this, that, these, those), possessive pronouns (my, your, his, her, its, our, their), and quantifiers (somebody/someone/something/somewhere).
Here are some examples of determiners in action:
Most of the time, determiners go in front of a noun. For example:
Sometimes, you’ll see a demonstrative determiner by itself. For example:
Determiners matter because writing needs specificity to make sense to people. If words aren't referred to specifically, it is impossible to know what we are talking about and to make sense of the text. Determiners give meaning to nouns, pronouns, and verbs, which are the most important POS.
Articles are a type of determiner that signal whether a noun is specific or unspecific. There are three articles in English:
We use the zero article when we’re talking about something in general, without singling out a particular example. For example: "Desserts are my favorite part of the meal." In this sentence, the speaker isn’t referring to any specific dessert – just desserts in general.
We use a/an before singular countable nouns that are indefinite—that is, they don’t refer to a specific thing or group of things. For example:
We use the before singular and plural countable nouns that are definite – that is, they refer to a specific thing or group of things. For example:
You can also use the before uncountable and plural nouns, both definite and indefinite. For example:
Demonstratives — this, that, these, those — are determiners that demonstrate which thing or group of things we’re talking about. For example:
We use this/these to talk about something nearby, and that/those to talk about something farther away. For example:
We can also use demonstratives to talk about something that we’re pointing at. For example:
Possessives — my, your, his, her, its, our, their — are determiners that show who something belongs to. For example:
Quantifiers are words that indicate the quantity of something. They can be used to describe how much or how many of something there is. For example:
Numbers are words that indicate the quantity of something. They can be used to describe how much or how many of something there is. There are two types of numbers:
Cardinal numbers are used to describe the quantity of something. For example, "one" and "two" are cardinal numbers. Cardinal numbers can also be used to describe the exact quantity of something. For example:
Ordinal numbers are used to describe the order of something. For example, "first" and "second" are ordinal numbers. Ordinal numbers can also be used to describe the exact order of something. For example, "I am the third person in line." In this sentence, the word "third" is an ordinal number.
Here are over 100 determiners you can use in your next writing project: