Determiners include a wide range of words that fulfill a crucial role in the formation of sentences. As well as the definite and indefinite articles, such as a and the, they include numerals and various other words that serve to specify particular objects or persons or indicate their number (all, each, few, much, that, for example). They function in a similar fashion to adjectives and are always positioned before the noun to which they refer. Note, however, that they may also be used as pronouns, and many determiners (such as all and some) are applicable in both roles.In some cases it is perfectly possible for a noun to be preceded by more than one determiner at a time (all or some of the team, each and every time) or by a determiner and one or more adjectives (a few short moments, each individually handcrafted item, that very heavy load).There are some restrictions concerning the type of nouns to which determiners may be applied. Certain determiners (a, an, each, either, neither, and one) may be applied only to singular countable nouns:Each book must be returned by the due date.
This is an example of creative thinking. Other determiners (both, few, many, several, these, etc.) may be used only with plural countable nouns:Both men know that their reputations are under threat.
Several of these flowers are hybrids. While one may refer only to a single countable noun, numerals above one may be applied only to plural countable nouns (two persons, ninety-nine times out of a hundred).Such determiners as least, less, little, and much are applicable only to uncountable nouns (least disturbance, less chance, little hope, much trouble).Definite and Indefinite ArticlesThe most commonly encountered determiners are the so-called definite and indefinite articles, respectively, the and a. The refers to something already referred to or otherwise certainly identified, often because it is the only object under consideration (the paper in front of you, the first contestant, the last chance), whereas a is less specific and could refer to any one thing (a pointed look, a good meal). In some circumstances, a may be interpreted as meaning one (place a coin on the table), or, alternatively, as per (twenty miles a day). Note that a is used only before singular nouns (a building), though the can be applied to both singular and plural nouns (the cat, the raindrops).Convention dictates that a becomes an when preceding a noun beginning with a vowel (an apple, an envelope). The same rule applies to abbreviations that are pronounced as though they begin with a vowel, even though they actually begin with a consonant (send an SOS). Conversely, words that begin with a vowel that sounds like a consonant are preceded with a (a unicorn). Words that begin with the letter h can cause particular confusion in this context, since both a and an are sometimes considered acceptable depending on variations in pronunciation such as aspiration of the h (a hotel/an hotel, an herb/a herb).Articles are not usually necessary before proper nouns, and in some circumstances it is also possible to omit the article before other nouns. Articles may be omitted before both countable nouns (stay for tea, go by foot, lie in bed) and uncountable nouns (love hurts, pressed for time) and also before plural nouns (responsible adults, paid employees).
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