CBSE Class 9 English Grammar – Determiners
Determiners are a part of speech in grammar that come before nouns to modify and provide more information about them. They are used to introduce and specify the nouns they refer to.
The words like ‘a’, ‘the‘, ‘my’, ‘any’, ‘much’, ‘this’, ‘some’, ‘many’, etc. are called determiners:
Examples:
1. “Please pass me the book.”
2. “These shoes are too small for me.”
3. “Can you please return my pen?”
Kinds of Determiners:
| Articles | Demonstratives | Possessives | Quantifiers | Numbers | Interrogatives | Exclamative | Pre-determiners | Ordinals |
| “a,” “an,” and “the” | “this,” “that,” “these,” and “those” | “my,” “your,” “his,” “her,” “its,” “our,” “their” | “some,” “any,” “several,” “few,” “many,” “much,” “all,” “both,” “neither,” “each,” “every” | “one,” “two,” “three,” “first,” “second,” “third,” | “which,” “what,” “whose” | “what,” “which” | “all”, “both”, “half”, “such” | first, second, last, next, etc. |
Articles:
Articles are a type of determiner in English grammar. They are small words used before nouns to specify their definiteness or indefiniteness. Articles help indicate whether the noun refers to something specific or general. In English, there are three articles: “a” (or “an”), and “the.”
- Definite Article: “the”
- The definite article “the” is used before singular and plural nouns when we are referring to a particular or specific thing, person, or group. It implies that the speaker and the listener both know which thing or person is being referred to.
- Indefinite Article: “a” (or “an”)
- The indefinite article “a” is used before singular countable nouns that begin with a consonant sound, while “an” is used before singular countable nouns that begin with a vowel sound. It indicates that we are referring to any one or an unspecified member of a group.
Demonstratives: “this,” “that,” “these,” and “those”
Demonstrative determiners are used to point out or identify specific nouns in relation to their distance from the speaker or the listener.
- “This”: It is used to indicate a singular noun that is close to the speaker.
- Example: “I like this book.” (The book is close to the speaker.)
- “That”: It is used to indicate a singular noun that is far from the speaker.
- Example: “Look at that bird.” (The bird is far from the speaker.)
- “These”: It is used to indicate plural nouns that are close to the speaker.
- Example: “I found these keys.” (The keys are close to the speaker.)
- “Those”: It is used to indicate plural nouns that are far from the speaker.
- Example: “Can you pass me those papers?” (The papers are far from the speaker.)
Possessives: “my,” “your,” “his,” “her,” “its,” “our,” “their”
Possessive determiners are used to indicate possession or ownership of a noun.
- “My”: Indicates possession by the speaker (first person singular).
- Example: “This is my car.”
- “Your”: Indicates possession by the listener or person being spoken to (second person singular or plural).
- Example: “Is this your book?”
- “His”: Indicates possession by a male singular person or thing (third person singular masculine).
- Example: “I borrowed his pen.”
- “Her”: Indicates possession by a female singular person or thing (third person singular feminine).
- Example: “She lost her phone.”
- “Its”: Indicates possession by a singular object or an animal (third person singular neuter).
- Example: “The cat is licking its paws.”
- “Our”: Indicates possession by the speaker and others (first person plural).
- Example: “Let’s use our laptops.”
- “Their”: Indicates possession by a group of people or things (third person plural).
- Example: “The students are doing their homework.”
Quantifiers: “some,” “any,” “several,” “few,” “many,” “much,” “all,” “both,” “neither,” “each,” “every”
Quantifiers are words used to indicate the quantity of objects or the amount of something.
- “Some”: Refers to an unspecified or indefinite quantity of something.
- Example: “I bought some fruits from the market.”
- “Any”: Refers to an indefinite or unrestricted quantity of something.
- Example: “Do you have any questions?”
- “Many”: Indicates a large or considerable number of something.
- Example: “There are many books on the shelf.”
- “Few”: Indicates a small number or a lack of something.
- Example: “Only a few people attended the meeting.”
- “Several”: Refers to more than a few but not many.
- Example: “She received several awards for her performance.”
Numbers: “one,” “two,” “three,” “first,” “second,” “third”
Number determiners, also known as numerical determiners, are used to express exact or approximate quantities of nouns.
- “Two” (Cardinal Number): Represents the quantity of two.
- Example: “She has two dogs as pets.”
- “First” (Ordinal Number): Indicates the position of something in a sequence or order.
- Example: “He finished first in the race.”
- “Ten” (Cardinal Number): Denotes the quantity of ten.
- Example: “There are ten students in the classroom.”
Interrogatives: “which,” “what,” “whose”
Interrogative determiners are utilized to inquire and ask questions.
- “Which”: Asks for a choice or selection among a limited number of options.
- Example: “Which color do you prefer?”
- “What”: Asks for information or an explanation about something.
- Example: “What time is the meeting?”
- “Whose”: Asks about possession or ownership of a particular noun.
- Example: “Whose bag is this?”
Exclamative: “what,” “which”
Exclamative determiners are used to express strong emotions, surprise, or admiration. In English, the exclamative determiners are “what” and “such.” They are used at the beginning of exclamatory sentences.
- “What”: Expresses surprise or wonder about a thing or situation.
- Example: “What a beautiful sunset!”
- “What”: Shows admiration or astonishment about someone’s actions or qualities.
- Example: “What an amazing performance!”
- “Such”: Demonstrates a high degree or extent of something.
- Example: “Such a delicious meal!”
Pre-determiners: “all”, “both”, “half”, “such”
Pre-determiners are words that precede a determiner and serve to further specify or limit the meaning of a noun.
- “Both”: Specifies the whole or entirety of two things.
- Example: “Both my sisters are doctors.”
- “Half”: Indicates one of two equal parts.
- Example: “I have eaten half the cake.”
- “All”: Refers to the whole or entire quantity of something.
- Example: “He ate all the cookies.”
Ordinals: first, second, last, next.
Ordinals determiners are used to indicate the position or order of a noun in a sequence. They express rank, order, or position.
- “First”: Indicates the initial position in a sequence.
- Example: “She finished first in the race.”
- “Second”: Represents the position that comes after the first.
- Example: “He is the second in line to receive the award.”
- “Third”: Indicates the position that comes after the first and second.
- Example: “This is the third time I’ve visited this city.”