ASPECT: STRUCTURES
TOPIC: Nouns: Nouns and Determiners /Articles 
CONTENT:
Definition of Determiners
Types of Determiners
The use of Articles (Definite and Indefinite Articles)
What is a determiner?
A determiner is a word that is used in front of a noun or pronoun to give some information about it.
Types of Determiners
Articles (definite and indefinite articles): a, an, the.
Demonstrative determiners: this, that, these, those.
Possessive determiners: my, your, its, her,
Indefinite determiners: each, both, neither, few, several, some, little,
Number determiners: one, two, three … first, second, fourth, fifth,
 
Definite Article: The definite article is ‘the’. It is used to refer to a particular person or thing.
The Use of Definite Article
It can be used in a sentence to refer back to a person or thing that has already been mentioned or identified. Examples:
Mrs Brown gave birth to a boy and the boy was called John.
I was asked to choose a restaurant and the restaurant I chose was The Olive Tree.
Father bought a new dog and the dog is a Labrador.
The definite article can also be used to identify someone or something as the only one of its kind. Examples:
He is reading the Bible.
Tourists often visit the Tower of London.
He has been declared the new Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
The definite article is used to refer to a whole class or group of things or people.
Examples:
Lions belong to the big cats.
She really does not like the English.
Because of a long-lasting family feud the Smiths did not speak to the Simpsons at John and Jane’s wedding.
The definite article can be used to indicate the unique quality of someone or something. Examples:
In the sixties it was the restaurant to go to in London.
It is currently the city venue for fashionable wedding receptions.
The musical is the show to see this Christmas.
 
Indefinite Article: An indefinite article does not refer to any particular person or thing. The form of the indefinite article is either ‘a’ or ‘an’. The form ‘a’ is used before words that begin with a consonant sound such as a box, a garden, a road, a star, a wall. The form ‘an’ is used before words that begin with an initial vowel sound such as an apple, an egg, an igloo, an ostrich, an uncle.
The Use of the Indefinite article (a/an)
The indefinite article can also be used in the following ways:
It can be used in the same way as the adjective one. Examples:
The town is exactly a mile away.
We waited an hour for the bus to come.
A year ago we were happy, but things have changed.
The indefinite article is also used to refer to or single out a specific person or thing. Examples:
Jim married a girl called Mary from the next village.
The family had a black cat called Sooty.
Sue is going out with a young man called Tom.
The indefinite article is also used with an indefinite meaning, in the same way that any is.
Examples:
He was as big as a house.
An island is a piece of land entirely surrounded by water.
A paediatrician is a doctor who specializes in children’s illnesses.
The indefinite article is also used in the following way, with the word ‘for’ implied but omitted before it: Examples:
The grapes are £3 a kilo.
The gardener will charge you £12 an hour.
The cake is £2 a slice.