EXPANDING THE NOUN PHRASE: DETERMINERS

EXPANDING THE NOUN PHRASE:
DETERMINERS

Determiner

As we know the basic sentences worked with so far have not really been very interesting. They lacked color, interest, and detail. Many of the sentences were not specific. For exemple, the pattern noun + linking verb + noun, as seen in the sentences

That man is a teacher, does not really give very much information. The same pattern expanded can be more interisting and gives more specific information : That short, fat, bald man talking to my father is my chemistry teacher.

All basic sentence pattern may be enlarged or expanded by the addition of modifying words and phrase. This lesson deals with determiners. Subsequent lesson deal with adjectivals and adverbials.

Specifity of Determiners.

Determiners give different degrees of specificity to the nouns they modify. Plural count nouns and mass nouns may be so general in meaning that they have no determiners. Singular count nouns are always preceded by one or more determiners.

1.       Starting with the noun apple, for example, it can be made more and more specific.

                        apple                                                                                                                    
                        an apple                                                                                                                              
                        any, no apple (any for questions and negatives)                                               
                        (n)either apple                                                                                                
                        the apple                                                                                                                            
                        her apple                                                                                                                            
                        this, that apple       

                                                                                          

2.       If the noun apple is made plural, it can be seen that the determiners used with apple are not always the same as those used with apple.

                        apples
                        some, any, no apples (any for question and negatives)
                        two apples
                        few apples
                        a few apples
                        the apples
                        her apples
                        these, those apples

Apple is a count noun. A and one, which are singular, cannot be used with the plural form apples

.

3.       Observe the same process with the noun sugar.
                        sugar
                        some, any, no sugar
                        little sugar
                        a little sugar
                        the sugar
                        her sugar
                        this, that sugar

Sugar is a mass noun; hence, a, one, and the other counters cannot be used with it. This and that are used with mass nouns and singular count nouns; these and those are used only with plural count nouns

.

Either and neither can be used with singular count nouns.

I will be happy with either decision. (either one decision or the other one – this one or that  one)
I can take either plane; it makes no different.
They will accept neither solution to this problem.

Do not confuse the determiners either/neither with the correlative conjunctions either . . . . or/neither . . . . nor.

                We can use either apples or oranges.
                The classroom has neither chalk nor erasers.

Classification of Determiners
                The determiners fall into the following classifications according to function:

1.       Counter and measurers (used with count nouns)

a.       a, an

b.      Cardinal numbers: one, two, three, etc

c.       Ordinal numbers: first, second, third, etc

d.      few, a few, many, (more, most), seeral

e.      no

f.        both

g.       all

h.      some, any, enough

2.       Quantifiers (used with mass nouns)

a.       much (more, most), a lot of, little, a little

b.      no

c.       all

d.      some, any, enough

3.       Pointers (used with both mass and count nouns except for these and those, which are used with count nouns only)

a.       Demonstratives: this, that, these, those

b.      either, neither

c.       the

4.       Possesive (used with both mass nouns and count nouns)

my, your, his, her, its, our, their

Order of Determiners

                These different determiners fall into classes that determine the order they take when several of them precede the same noun.

- Class 1 determiners are some, any; the articles, a, an, the; the possesive, my, your, his, her, its, our, their; and the demonstratives, this, that, these, those.

Only one of these determiners can be used to modify a given noun. Additionally, both, all, either, and neither can occur alone in the Class 1 position or can go before the Class 1 determiners.

Both girls             both the girls
all girls                   all those girls, all my girls

- Class 2 determiners are ordinal numbers (first, second, third, etc). They occur after the Class 1 determiners.

-Class 3 determiners are counters and measurers. They include cardinal numbers (one, two, three, etc.) and such words as few, several, little, much, many. These determiners can be used alone before nouns or with Class 1 determiners (articles, possesives, demonstratives) which they follow. If they are used with both Class 1 and Class 2 determiners, they fall in the third position.

Posted by  : Rianda Rita Ayu