determiner

/dɪˈtɜː.mɪ.nər/ (bre, ipa) · /dɪˈtɝː.mə.nɚ/ (ame, ipa) · /di-ˈtər-mə-nər/ (ame, mw)

determiner — noun

  • determinersingular
  • determinersplural

1. a grammar word such as the, this, my, or some that stands before a noun and help

1.名詞B2
釋義

a grammar word such as the, this, my, or some that stands before a noun and helps show which person or thing you mean, or how much or how many of it you mean.

例句

Ms. Lin wrote 'these apples' on the board and called 'these' a determiner.

demonstrative determiner before a plural noun

Benjamin underlined 'my' in his essay because it is a possessive determiner.

possessive determiner showing ownership before a noun

同義詞
  • specifier

    a more technical term used in some grammar systems for a similar slot before the noun

文法句型

determiner + noun

determiner + adjective + noun

用法筆記

A determiner usually comes at the start of a noun phrase, before any adjectives. Words such as 'a', 'the', 'this', 'some', and 'my' can all work as determiners, but many grammar books group them into smaller types such as articles, demonstratives, and possessives.

常見錯誤

❌The word "the" is an adjective in this sentence.
✅The word "the" is a determiner in this sentence.
💡articles belong to the determiner group because they come before nouns and limit which noun we mean.
❌My is a pronoun in "my bag".
✅My is a determiner in "my bag".
💡before a noun, 'my' works as a determiner; it is a pronoun only when it stands alone in a different pattern.