Determiners are words that mark nouns. Following a determiner is automatically a noun or a noun phrase. There are multiple types of determiners:
Articles are words that come before nouns and define them as specific or non-specific. They act like adjectives because they modify nouns.
There is the:
-
Indefinite article: a/an
-
Definite article: the.
A/an is used with singular nouns that are non-specific or unknown.
A/an = one
My brother wants a career.
He met a counselor.
He will be looking for an opportunity.
Meaning:
-
The career could be any career (non-specific).
Meaning:
-
The counselor is unknown to us.
Meaning:
-
The opportunity is still non-specific or unknown to him and us.
A vs. An
Choosing between a or an depends on the sound of the following words.
|
Singular noun beginning with: |
A or An? |
Examples |
| Consonant sound | a | a screwdriver, a truck |
| Vowel sound | an | an ambulance, an elevator |
| Short U [uh] sound | an | an umbrella, an unboxing |
| Long U [yoo] sound | a | a university, a user |
| Silent H sound | an | an hour, an heir |
| Pronounced H sound | a | a horse, a hotel |
The is used with singular or plural nouns that are specific or known.
He met the manager.
The company hired him.
He is the happiest person in the world!
Meaning:
-
“the” refers to a known/specific manager: the manager who interviewed him before.
Meaning:
-
“the” refers to a known/specific company: the company which hired him.
Meaning:
-
“the” refers to a specific feature of that person.
Definite vs. Indefinite Articles
Choosing between a definite or an indefinite article changes the meaning of the following noun.
|
Definite article |
Examples |
Indefinite article |
Examples |
| a | Finding a job is easy. | the | Finding the perfect job is difficult. |
| Means: one job, any job | Means: this specific job, the one indicated | ||
| an | An accident can happen quickly. | the | My sister was lucky to survive the accident. |
| Means: an accident in general | Means: this specific accident to which we are referring |
Demonstrative determiners modify the noun following it.
This book is small but that book is thick!
These houses are all the same but those are all different.
This refers to:
-
Something near the speaker in time or place, something within reach.
That refers to:
-
Something farther from the speaker in time or place. Something out of reach.
These refers to:
- Multiple things near the speaker in time or place.
- Plural form of this.
Those refers to:
-
Multiple things farther from the speaker in time or place.
-
Plural form of that.
Possessive determiners are also called possessive adjectives.
