PARTS OF SPEECH
(PART VIII)
Determiner:
i) Words that come at the beginning of the noun.
ii) Introduces noun.
iii) Determines noun - whether a noun is specific or general.
Determiners are basically divided into four types. They are:
i) Articles – A, An, The
ii) Demonstratives – This, That, These, Those
iii) Possessives – My, Your, His, Her, Your, Their
iv) Quantifiers – Some, Few, Little, Many, Much, Any
Articles:
Articles determine which noun the speaker is referring to. Indefinite Articles (A, An) speak about general version of noun. Example: A book is man’s best friend. (Here, a book is referred to all the categories of book not a specific one)
Definite Article (The) is used for specific version of the noun.
Example: The Bhagavad Gita is one of the holy books of Hinduism. (Here, a specific book is referred)
Demonstratives:
They are used to point out something specific within a sentence. They focus attention on the noun that they are replacing.
Examples:
i) I want to go to that movie. (Here, pinpointing specifically to that movie)
ii) He wanted those boys to go away.
Possessives:
Possessives pronouns are words that are used to show ownership.
Examples:
i) Where is your bike? (Here, your is used to point out the bike which belongs to you)
ii) It’s our secret.
Quantifiers:
They indicate how much or how little the noun is being used.
Examples:
i) He took some books of mine. (Here, some defines the quantity of book he took)
ii) He has a few apples in the refrigerator.
