| Group A Determiners |
| Take a quiz on Group A Determiners |
| Group A determiners help to identify nouns: they indicate whether the noun is known or unknown to the hearer, which one(s) the speaker is talking about, or whether the speaker is discussing something specific, or general. Articles: a/an, the A, used before words that begin with a consonant, and an, used before words that begin with a vowel, indicate an unknown or nonspecific (general) noun. One might say I want an apple, or please bring me a papaya when it is either unknown or doesn't matter what apples are available, or which papaya is brought. The indicates a specific or known noun. In the previous example, one might say I want the reddest apple or please bring me the ripest papaya. One may also say give me the pineapple as there is only one pineapple on the tray. Possessives: my, your, his, her, its, our, their, one's, whose These determiners indicate relationship, ownership and point of origin. my sister his notebook their idea. Demonstratives: this, these, that, those Demonstratives indicate which of two or more nouns the speaker is talking about. This and these usually indicate the noun(s) closest to the speaker, or most recently mentioned; that and those indicate noun(s) further away, or mentioned earlier. Demonstratives are also frequently used as pronouns as in that is a big pineapple and those are my favorite. Only one Group A determiner may be used in any noun phrase. It is correct to say the fruit, her fruit or this fruit, but incorrect to say her the fruit, her this fruit, this her fruit and the this fruit. Please click here for a discussion of Group B Determiners. |
| A and an indicate non-specific or unknown nouns. The indicates specific or known nouns. |
| The tray in the picture is filled with fruit. |
| Important! Every singular, countable noun requires a determiner. |
| Only one Group A determiner can be used in a noun phrase. |
| Her tray of fruit looks heavy. |
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| This tray of fruit looks delicious. |
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