Determiners

1 Determiners are words like the, my, this, some, either, every, enough, several.

Determiners come at the beginning of noun phrases, but they are not adjectives.

• the moon


• a nice day
  


• my fat old cat
  


• this house every week


• several young students

We cannot usually put two determiners together.
We can say the house, my house or this house, but not the my house or the this house or this-my house.

2 There are two groups of determiners:

Group A

a/an the my   your   his   her  its  our  your  their  one's whose this  these   that those

Group B

some   any no

each   every  either neither

much   many   more  most  little  less least

few  fewer  fewest  enough several all   both half

what  whatever  which whichever

3 If we want to put a group B determiner before a group A determiner, we have to use of.

group B determiner + of + group A determiner

• some of the people


• each of my children


• neither of these doors


• most of the time


• which of your records


• enough of those remarks

Before of we use none, not no, and everyone, not every.

• none of my friends
  


• every one of these books

We can leave out of after all, both and half.

• all (of) his ideas


• both (of) my parents

4 We can use group B determiners alone (without nouns).
We can also use them with of before pronouns.

• 'Do you know Orwell's books?' 'Yes, I've read several'


• 'Would you like some water?' 'I've got some, thanks.'


• neither of them
  


• most of us


• which of you