Questions tagged [determiners]
Determiners are noun-modifiers that convey the reference of a noun without delineating its characteristics [as adjectives do].
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Is “one” in the “one of the” construction a pronoun or a determiner?
In sentences like
One of the criteria is experience.
It was one of the several objects that were sold at the auction.
is one a pronoun or determiner?
Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries cites similar ...
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2answers
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Cardinalities in English language [closed]
I recently learned about the notions of countable and uncountable noun in English language. I understand that "How many integers are there?" is a gramatically correct sentence. However, is the ...
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2answers
43 views
Do we need to use 'the' here? [closed]
In 'the novel navigates present-day US' do we need 'the' before 'present-day US' as we would usually before 'US'?
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Verbal agreement of “more of + plural noun”
Here Are More Of The Most Amazing Images Of Cars
Is the sentence grammatical?
Shouldn't it concoord is with the uncountable more (of), instead of its current plural are?
According to Microsoft® ...
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2answers
49 views
What's the difference between “ones”, “the ones”, “those”, “one”, “the one”, “that”?
I am wondering what the difference is between "ones", "the ones", "one", the one", "those", and "that"?
Take a noun for example. Some people say a dog=one, dogs=ones, the dog=the one=that, and the ...
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1answer
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Several questions regarding a passage by Robert Boyle
Robert Boyle once wrote in one of his papers:
That, then, which I chiefly aim at is to make it probable to you by experiments (which I think hath not yet been done) that almost all sorts of ...
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1answer
33 views
Why do people say 'this' instead of 'a', especially in spoken discourse?
For example, some people might say "I saw this man just now..." instead of "I saw a man just now...".
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Are “many”, “few”, and “numerous” adjectives or determiners?
So, at first I found some inconsistencies between online dictionaries, with some like Merriam-Webster saying "many" is an adjective, while Wiktionary saying its a determiner. Eventually I had ...
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“Neither of us are” -vs- “Neither one of us is” [duplicate]
This cartoon was recently posted on Facebook. My sister (who is a retired HS English teacher) says the grammar is wrong and that the correct wording should be: "Neither one of us is." but I disagree.
...
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1answer
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The grammar of “one another”
In sentences such as:
They talked to one another
Is the string one another a constituent, or are the two words part of a mandatorily gapped coordination of preposition phrases (or even verb phrases)?...
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1answer
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NPs - pre-/postmodifiers
Would you consider "both" in the following NPs rather as a predeterminer or a conjunction? If it's a predeterminer, it would determine both NPs, right?
The swimming pool is both a great place to ...
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2answers
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Can I use a noun with a posessive determiner as adjunct?
For example: "Your level English" (Your level = adjunct)? Does it have the same meaning as "English of your level"?
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91 views
one/two each of + plural nouns
I'd like to know an alternative phrasing of structures like "I want one each of tomatoes, bananas, apricots and pears.
Secondly, what syntactic role does "each" play in this phrase?
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Can the 'the's be dropped?
In a list of titles that all start with the, does each need their own the or can they be shared?
Linguistics jargon: Is it possible to use a single D head and multiple NP conjuncts to mean the same ...
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1answer
181 views
{This/that vs. these/those} + many + plural noun
From pag 419 of Mastering English An Advanced Grammar for Non-native and Native Speakers:
Elsewhere, demonstratives normally serve as determiners (as in that exact moment, this way, etc.). BUT in ...
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1answer
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Determiner all + uncountable noun - which of the following sentences is correct? [closed]
All water has been filtered.
or
All water have been filtered.
?
I've already searched about this especially in youtube. From what I learned, if it's an uncountable noun after determiner all, it ...
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1answer
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“in efforts to” vs “in an effort to”
Is efforts being used properly in this sentence because we are promoting multiple efforts?
In efforts to promote our products, we are providing a website and flyers for your use.
Or should it be:
...
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1answer
45 views
When to use A vs An and inconsistency [duplicate]
I hear the phrase "an American" and wonder why "a American" sounds incorrect. "a [nationalism]" works in every other context. "a Libyan" "a Russian" "a Chinese". Other examples where "an" sounds ...
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1answer
314 views
Is “workload” ever a countable noun? Can it also be uncountable?
Here are two sentences which have almost the same meaning that I have found in two different dictionaries:
Teachers are always complaining about their heavy workloads. (Cambridge Dictionary)
Students ...
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1answer
54 views
Why is it necessary to include determiners like “your” or “my” in some sentences?
Why is it necessary to include determiners like "your" or "my" in sentences with enough context to omit them?
"Bob, eat your breakfast."
"How do you like your eggs?"
"I got my results back."
"I'm ...
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1answer
318 views
“Once each” or “once every” six months?
I'm formatting a bulleted list of benefits covered by a dental plan. I believe the text originally came from the insurance company's official "schedule of benefits" document, which is written in ...
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1answer
81 views
Can you put the article ‘a’ after the verb ‘are’? [duplicate]
So, I just read an article, and was confused by the sentence:
In the study we just described, we found evidence that people’s self-discerning reflections — musings on whether parts of their ...
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1answer
707 views
Can I use “respectively” to refer to a list in the previous sentence?
Is the following sentence a correct usage of the word "respectively", or can it only be used if the things it is referring to are listed in the same sentence?
"There was a dog, a cat, and a hamster....
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5answers
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Why is “I see a few trees” correct but “I see a many trees” not?
Why is "I see a few trees" grammatically correct but "I see a many trees" not?
I notice that "I see few trees" and "I see many trees" are both grammatically correct, since "few" and "many" are both ...
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2answers
273 views
One noun but two determiners?
In this earlier thread titled 'Can I precede a noun with more than one determiner?', the most-voted answer by Barrie England says:
Yes, more than one determiner can precede a noun, but they do so ...
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2answers
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Is “Drink milk.” a legal imperative sentence? [closed]
I need to interpret simple imperative sentences.
Certainly (a) "Drink the milk." is a legal imperative sentence, as are (b) "Drink a milk." and "Drink the milks.," (but with a different "milk" noun). ...
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1answer
41 views
Most or Most of [duplicate]
Should we say :
Most of the american women loved Michael Jackson
or
Most american women loved Michael Jackson
Thanks !
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0answers
53 views
“It is for people who” vs “it is for the/those people who”
A. Mnemonics are for people who don't know.
B. Mnemonics are for the/those people who don't know.
Which one is correct? If both, what is the difference in sense/meaning?
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1answer
141 views
It or them: How to refer to a single noun followed by any with a pronoun?
Is the sentence below correct?
I want to say I can't merely rely on self-learning in order to become proficient in my career, and I need better resources.
Although self-learning is an essential ...
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1answer
240 views
What’s the correct use of “last/late/latter/latter” in time expressions?
I always get these adjectives and determiners confused as regards their use and shades of meaning. Let's take a structure meaning “in the last few years”. Would it be right to use any of the following ...
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1answer
59 views
¿Compulsory? Use of Determiners when Pre-Modifying Uncountable Nouns
I have (maybe a silly) question about the grammar of determiners and nouns which I can never seem to elucidate correctly. When we have a countable noun we use a determiner be it premodified or not:
...
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'A' vs 'An' ufotable Production [duplicate]
The company ofutable (pronounced UFO-table) likes to start their movies with a black background, and
An ufotable Production
emblazoned in the middle of the screen.
As a native english speaker, I ...
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1answer
78 views
Category of the First Term in the Partitive Construction
Are the words in bold type in the following sentences determiners?
One of the books was written by X
I want two of those
8 percent of the population has X
I ate some of that cake
In a treatise ...
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0answers
261 views
Is this a fused determiner-head?
This all started in 1965.
Is 'this', 'this all' or 'all' here a fused determiner-head? If one of these is not a fused determiner-head, what is its function and category?
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Specify a maximum and a minimum value [a question on coordination]
Let's say we are asking the user to specify a maximum and a minimum. What is the correct (and the most natural) way to coordinate the phrase?
Specify a maximum and a minimum value
Specify a maximum ...
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Is “both” singular or plural?
Which of these sentences is correct?
Here is both the link and the directions for this week's assignment.
or
Here are both the link and the directions for this week's assignment.
In the ...
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2answers
246 views
What’s the grammatical classification of “where” when used in questions like “Where have you been all day?”
Consider the following sentence:
Where have you been all day?
What category does where belong to in that sentence? Is it a determiner or a preposition? Is it something else?
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2answers
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Difference between “this” and “that” when referring to a previous sentence
I have checked this site.
We use this or that to refer to something with special emphasis – indicating an interesting new fact has been mentioned.
We use this or that to refer to a new topic, ...
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0answers
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Which determiner to use before 'space race'
This was the conversation:
A : Why can't all space agencies work together for the better of humanity?
B : The space race, friend!
B meant the general meaning 'the competition between nations ...
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0answers
61 views
'the' usage : used to mark a noun as being used generically [duplicate]
The question:
The definite article 'the' has many usages. However, I cannot quite understand one usage, that is, 'used to mark a noun as being used generically'. What does it mean by 'noun being used ...
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3answers
123 views
A suitable substitute for 'much'
I came across the following construction in an exercise book written by a non-native speaker of English, who asked the students to replace the word 'much' with a more suitable one:
I know that the ...
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0answers
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POS of the word “what”
What is an accurate POS of the word "what" in the following examples:
"What makes this speech pattern uniquely different to “so called” American Standard English is..."
"What seems to be the issue is ...
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2answers
250 views
Please clarify this guideline “You use a plural count noun with no article if you mean all or any of that thing.”?
Frankfurt International School's ESL website says:
You use a plural count noun with no article if you mean all or any of that thing.
I don't like dogs.
Do they have children?
I don't ...
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2answers
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Is the phrase “various information” grammatically correct?
As far as I know, the adjective "various" always requires a plural noun; however, the English word "information" does not have any plural form. My question is therefore as follows: Is the phrase "...
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1answer
107 views
Use of possessive determiners with adjectives
I've read this thread and while it does seem to give me the answer I am looking for, I still wanted to ask a related question.
Let's take the following sentences as examples:
"He lives in a flat, ...
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1answer
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Is it natural to use the possessive adjective in “their olive trees”?
Does the following sentence sound natural?
They harvest their olive trees in autumn.
Can I say: their olive trees or does it sound more natural without "their"?
They harvest olive ...
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1answer
202 views
When is it okay to omit a determiner? (as in “Everything for baby”)
A friend and I walked past a poster advertising BabiesRUs and the slogan was "Everything for baby". My friend said it's bad grammar and should include "your" or make "baby" into "babies". I disagreed ...
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1answer
225 views
Can 'Often' be categorised as quantifier(Determiner)? [closed]
Since 'Often' can also denote quantity, can it be called a quantifier?
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2answers
1k views
Whole + Plural Nouns
On my old Upper-Intermediate Book it's reported that whole plus a plural noun ( for instance whole businesses) means each one.
To be more clear, I write here the explanation the book gives:
"It's ...
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2answers
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Looking synonymous for a person that require a minimal supervision [closed]
Is there any word for a person that can do things with a minimal supervision? Or what is the synonymous for a person that require a minimal supervision
