Page 98 - Perfect English Grammar: The Indispensable Guide to Excellent Writing and Speaking

Determiners modify nouns by limiting how specific or general they are. They
come at the beginning of noun phrases.

■ The rescue operation went well.

■ I gave you that answer yesterday.

Determiners are not required for every noun phrase.

■ Smart phones are ubiquitous.
■ Birds lay eggs.

■ Peaches are delicious.

Usually, a noun phrase has just one determiner. If there is more than one,
they have a natural order. Not all determiners can be used together.

■ That car has all the right curves in all the right places.
■ The last bus arrives in ten minutes.

■ My next three magic tricks will astound you.

■ Determiners include: Articles. See section 8.5, Definite and Indefinite

Articles with Nouns.
■ Demonstratives. See section 10.7, Demonstrative Pronouns and

Adjectives.
■ Possessives. See section 8.2, Possessives; section 4.6, Proper

Nouns that End in S; and section 4.7, Common Possessive Mistakes
to Avoid.

■ Quantifiers. See section 8.4, Count Nouns and Non-Count Nouns.
Quantifiers tell us how much or how many, including certain uses of

numbers. They include words like all any every few little many most
■ much no some Interrogative determiners. These are what, which,

and whose.

What movie should we see tonight?
Which tree is a maple?