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# determiner

noun (a determiner, determiners) — grammar

«determiner» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. (grammar) A determiner is a word that comes before a noun and tells you which one, whose, or how many, such as «the», «a», «this», «my», «some», «every» and numbers like «three». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/determiner/#m1)
2. More generally, a determiner is something that decides or controls what happens. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/determiner/#m2)

### In the lessons

In English grammar lessons (and SATs tests in England), pupils find determiners: articles (a, an, the), demonstratives (this, that, these, those), possessives (my, your, their), quantifiers (some, many, every) and numbers. A determiner goes before any adjectives: «the big red bus».

### Examples

- In «the dog barked», «the» is a determiner. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/determiner/#x1)
- «My», «your» and «their» are possessive determiners. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/determiner/#x2)
- Underline the determiner in «Those apples are sour.» [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/determiner/#x3)
- «Some», «many» and «every» are determiners too. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/determiner/#x4)
- Numbers like «two» can act as determiners: «two cats». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/determiner/#x5)
- A determiner comes before the adjective: «a tall tree». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/determiner/#x6)
- Use «an» before a vowel sound: «an elephant». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/determiner/#x7)

### Note

Countable: determiners. Trap: «this» is a determiner in «this book» but a pronoun in «I like this». «A» becomes «an» before a vowel sound: an apple, an hour, but a unicorn.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «determiner» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/determiner/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«determiner» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/determiner.html) on Mova free.