What is a determiner?
The small word at the start of a noun phrase, the four kinds, and how to tell one from a pronoun.
The answer
A determiner is a word that goes before a noun, and before any adjectives, to show which one, whose, or how many, such as the, a, this, my or some.
Examples
The fox dug a hole under an old tree.
The, a and an are articles.
This book belongs to my sister.
This is a demonstrative; my is a possessive.
Some children forgot their lunch.
Some is a quantifier; their is a possessive.
Every player gets a turn.
How to spot it
- It comes first in a noun phrase: determiner, then any adjectives, then the noun (the big red bus).
- It answers which one, whose or how many about the noun that follows.
- If the word stands alone with no noun after it (I like this), it is working as a pronoun instead.
The common mistake
Calling the, a and an adjectives, or missing possessives.
In ‘my new coat’, my is a determiner and new is the adjective. Remember the order: determiner first, then adjectives.
When it is taught
- First met
- Year 3
- On the pupil word list
- Year 4, as “determiner”
Year 3 chooses a or an by the sound of the next word. Year 4 names the word class determiner. The national curriculum glossary lists four kinds: articles, demonstratives, possessives and quantifiers.
Try a question
Circle all the determiners.
Those boys left their bags by the gate.
Show the answer
Answer: Those, their and the
Those is a demonstrative, their is a possessive and the is an article. Each comes before a noun.
Related terms
- Practise the 11+ skill: Classify a word in context
More grammar terms
Questions parents ask
Is my a determiner or a pronoun?
In the national curriculum glossary, my, your and their are possessives that act as determiners, because they come before a noun (my coat). Many schools call them possessive pronouns too. Mine, yours and theirs, which stand alone, are pronouns.
What kinds of determiner are there?
Articles (the, a, an), demonstratives (this, that, these, those), possessives (my, your, their) and quantifiers (some, every, many).
Is this a determiner?
Before a noun, yes: this book. On its own, it is a pronoun: I like this.
Grammar turns up in 11+ English too
Many 11+ English papers include grammar and punctuation questions alongside comprehension. The free diagnostic checks maths, English and both kinds of reasoning, and shows what to practise next. No card is required.