Determiners Worksheets for practice

Determiners are the words that modify nouns. In other words, determiners are the words that can be used before
nouns to determine or to modify their meaning. Determiners function like adjectives. They are also called fixing
words. Characteristics of Determiners are as follows

 A determiner may determine or fix a place, person or thing.

 A determiner may identify two or more persons or things.
 A determiner may precede numerals or objects.
 A determiner may indicate a quantity or amount.

Classification of Determiners In English Grammar

Determiners can be classified into

1. Articles A, an, the.

2. Demonstrative Adjectives This, that, these, those.
3. Quantifiers A quantifier is a word or phrase which is used before a noun to indicate the amount or quantity.
Types of quantifiers are as follows:

Definite : One, two, hundred,…, first, second, both etc.


Indefinite : Some, many, much, enough, few, a few, all, little, a little, several, most etc.

Distributive : Each, every, all, either, neither.

Difference : Another, other.

Comparative : More, less, fewer.

4. Possessives My, your, his, her, its, our, their, mine, hers, yours, ours, theirs etc.

1. Articles— A, An, The

Articles are used before nouns. ‘A’ is used before a noun starting with a consonant sound and ‘An’ is used before a
noun starting with a vowel sound. ‘The’ is used before singular countable nouns, plural countable nouns and
uncountable nouns.

Use of Indefinite Articles : A/An

‘A’ is used before a noun beginning with a consonant sound, e.g. a woman, a horse, a university
(Here woman, horse and university are words beginning with a consonant sound.)
‘An’ is used before a noun beginning with a vowel sound, e.g. an orange, an egg, an elephant, an hour
(Here orange, egg, elephant and hour are words beginning with a vowel sound.)

How to Use A and ‘An’

The use of ‘a’ and ‘an’ is determined by sound. The following words begin with a vowel, but not with a vowel
sound. A unique thing, a one rupee coin, a European, a unicorn, a university, a useful thing, a union.

So here ‘a’ is used.

On the other hand, with the following words, ‘an’ is used although they begin with a consonant.

An hour, an honest man, an heir to the throne, an MCA. Here, the sound is the criterion to decide whether a/an
will be used.

Use of Definite Article : The

‘The’ is used before singular countable nouns, plural countable nouns and uncountable nouns. Uncountable nouns
do not have plural forms, e.g. we cannot say ‘sugars’, we will say ‘the sugar’.

‘The’ is used
1. While talking about a particular person or thing or one already referred to (that is, when it is clear from the
context which one we mean), e.g. The book you want is not available.
2. When a singular noun represents the whole class, e.g. The dog is a faithful animal.
3. Before some proper names that denote physical features.

 Oceans and seas e.g. the Pacific, the Arabian Sea

 Rivers e.g. the Ganga, the Thames
 he Suez Canal
 Deserts e.g. the Thar, the Sahara
 Group of islands e.g. the West Indies, the Netherlands
 Mountain ranges e.g. the Himalayas, the Satpura
 A few names of countries, which include words like states, Republic or Kingdom
e.g. The People’s Republic of China, the United Kingdom, the USA, the Republic of Korea, the Hague etc
4. Before the names of religious, mythological
e.g. the Vedas, the Puranas, the Mahabharata
(but we say Homer’s Iliad, Valmiki’s Ramayana).
5. Before the names of things which are unique or one of their kind.
e.g. the Sun, the Moon, the Pacific Ocean
6. Before a proper noun, when it is qualified by an adjective or a defining adjectival clause.
e.g. The Great Caesar, the King of Rome.
The Mr Verma whom you met last night is my boss.
7. With superlative degrees.
e.g. This is the worst performance I have ever seen.
8. With ordinals.
e.g. He was the first man to walk on the Moon.
9. Before musical instruments.
e.g. He can play the tabla rhythmically.
10. Before an adjective when the noun is understood,
e.g. The rich always exploit the poor. Here the word ‘people’ is understood.
 11. As an adverb with comparatives.
e.g. The more money we have, the more we want.

Omission of Article ‘The’

 Before material, abstract and proper nouns used in a general sense. e.g.
(a) Honesty is the best policy, (not The honesty….)
(b) Sugar tastes sweet, (not The sugar….)
(c) Paris is the capital of France, (not The Paris….)
 Before plural countable nouns used in a general sense. e.g. Children like toys.
 Before names of people e.g. Rohit.
 Before names of continents, countries; cities etc e.g. Europe, Pakistan, Nagpur.
 Before names of individual mountains e.g. Mount Everest.
 Before names of meals used in a general sense, e.g. Dinner is ready.
 Before languages and words like school, college, university, church, hospital. e.g.
(a) I learn English at school.
(b) My uncle is still in hospital.
 Before names of relations, like father, mother etc. e.g. Father is still not at home.
 In certain phrases consisting of preposition followed by its object.
e.g. At home, in hand, by night, in case, on foot, by train, on demand etc.

2. Demonstrative Adjectives

This, that, these and those are used before nouns and point to the objects denoted by the nouns; as—
This car is very beautiful.
Aditi lives in that house.
These books are yours.
Distribute these mangoes among those children.
(i) ‘This’ and ‘These’ point to the objects which are near while ‘that’ and ‘those’ point to the ‘distant’ objects.
(ii)  ‘This’, and ‘that’ are used before singular nouns while ‘these’ and ‘those’ are used before plural nouns.
Check Point 1

Question 1.
Fill in the blanks with ‘a’ ‘an’ or ‘the’:

1. ………… auditorium has been built in our school.

2. Honesty is ……………….. best policy.
3. The Ganges is ……………….. holy river.
4. Hari is ………………… honourable man.
5. I saw ……….. one-eyed sailor.
6.  …………. sun is bigger than ……………….. earth.
7. ………..umbrella is ………………. useful thing.
8. This is ……………….. first time I have visited ……………….. big city.
9. This car can be driven at ……………….. speed of 180 kilometres ……………….. hour.
10. Mount Everest is ……………….. highest peak in ……………….. Himalayas.

Answer:

1. An
2. the
3. a
4. an
5. a
6. The, the
7. An, a
8. the, a
9. the, an
10. the, the
Question 2.
Fill in the blanks with suitable Demonstrative/Possessive Determiners—this, that, these, those, my, our, your, his,
her, their, one’s:

1. He is a good boy ………… father is a doctor.

2. Aditi wants me to lend her ………….. car.
3. All ………….. mangoes are rotten.
4. The child has broken ………….. toy.
5. Would you like to have ………… book or ………….. one?
6. Are there any girls in ………….. class?
7. What was ………….. noise?
8. The gardener waters ………….. plants every day.
9.   ………….. boys will soon join us.
10. Who is ………….. fellow?

Answers:

1. His
2. my
3. these
4. his
5. this, that
6. your
7. that
8. these
9. Those
10. that
3. Quantifiers
‘Some’, ‘many’, ‘a lot of’ and ‘a few’ are examples of quantifiers. Quantifiers can be used in affirmative sentences,
questions, requests or commands with both countable and uncountable nouns. e.g.

 There are some books on the desk.

 He’s got only a few dollars.
 How much money have you got?
 There is a large quantity of fish in this river.
 He’s got more friends than his sister.

Some quantifiers can go only with countable nouns (e.g. friends, people, cups), some can go only with
uncountable nouns (e.g. sugar, tea, money, advice), while some can be used with both countable and uncountable
nouns.

Examples of quantifiers are given below

With both Countable and

Only with Uncountable Nouns Only with Countable Nouns
Uncountable Nouns

a little no, none, not any a few

a bit of some, all a number of

— any several

a great deal of a lot of, lots of a great number of

a large amount of plenty of a large number of

Usage of quantifiers are as follows

I. Use of few/a few and little/a little

(a) Few and a few.
Few emphasises the lack of something,
e.g.
There are few sweets left in the jar.
(We should be careful not to eat them too quickly because they are almost finished.)
A few emphasises that something still remains,
e.g.
We still have a few minutes left before the class gets over. Do you have any questions?
(We still have some time, so we should use it.)

(b) Little and a little

Little emphasises the lack of something,
e.g.
We have little money right now; we should go out for dinner another day.
(We should be careful and use the money wisely because we don’t have much.)

A little emphasises that something still remains, e.g.

e.g.
There’s a little ice-cream left; who will eat it?
(There’s not enough ice-cream left to put back in the freezer, so it should be eaten.)

II. Use of much and many

(a) We use much with singular uncountable nouns and many with plural nouns.

 I haven’t got much change; I’ve only got a hundred rupee note.
 Are there many campsites near your place?

(b) We usually use much and many with interrogative sentences and negative sentences.

 Is there much unemployment in that area?

 How many eggs have not been used in this cake?
 Do you think many people will come?
 The rain was pouring down in torrents but there wasn’t much wind.
III. Use of more, less and fewer (comparative determiners)
We use more or less before singular uncountable nouns by adding than after it, or for an additional or lesser
quantity of something, e.g.

 I do more work than Suresh.

 Please give me some more salad.
 Satish does less work than me.
 I want less salad than Mahesh.

We use fewer before plural countable nouns to refer to a group of things smaller than another. e.g.

 Fewer students succeeded in passing than last year.

 We had fewer computers a year ago.
 of each and every (distributive determiners)

We use each for two or more than two items and every for more than two items. Both of these are followed by
singular countable nouns and singular verbs,  e.g.

 Each of the two boys has won a prize.

 Every student in the school is present today.

We use each when the number in the group is limited or definite, but every is used when the number is indefinite
or unknown.
e.g.

 Each student in my class was promoted.

 Every person in the world has a parent.
V. Use of most, several and all
(a) We usually use most with plural uncountable nouns, e.g.

 Most of the people can be trusted.

 Most of the time I am not at home.

(b) We usually use several with plural nouns, but it refers to a number which is not very large, (i.e. less than
most)

 Several people were crushed by the stampede.

 Several people lost their lives in the Tsunami.

(c) All requires a plural verb when used with a countable noun, but requires a singular verb with an uncountable
noun, e.g.

 All are going to Delhi.

 All that glitters is not gold.

VI. Use of another and other

We use another only with singular countable nouns, whereas others can be used with singular countable, plural
countable or uncountable nouns. e.g.

 Bring me another knife, as this one is blunt.

 I would prefer the other house.
 The other students went back home.
 He is a better human being than most others.
VII. Use of either and neither
(a) We use either to refer to two things, people, situations etc. It may mean one or the other of two or each of the
two. e.g.

 I don’t agree with either Ram or Shyam.

(b) We use neither with only singular countable nouns and a singular verb. Neither is the negative of either, e.g.

 Neither of the two boys passed the exam.

4. Possessives
(My, Your, His, Her, Its, Our, Their, etc.)
Possessive determiners or possessive adjectives tell us who owns something. We use a possessive determiner
before a noun to show who owns the noun we are talking about. They come in front of any other adjectives, e.g.

 This is your book.

 That is our beautiful house.

We use different possessive determiners depending on who owns the thing we are talking about.

Subject Possessive Determiner Used with Type of Noun

I my first-person singular
We our first-person plural

You your second-person singular/plural

They their third-person plural

He his third-person singular masculine

She her third-person singular feminine

It its third-person singular neuter

My, her, his, and its are used with singular nouns, while ours and they are used with plural nouns. You can be
used with either singular or plural nouns, depending on the sense, e.g.

 This is my book.
 The dog licked its paw.
 Which is their car?
 All three of you, have you done your homework?

Determiners and Kinds of Nouns With Which They are Used

 A, an, each, everyone, another, and either are used with singular countable nouns.
 This and that are used with uncountable nouns/singular countable nouns.
 These and those are used with uncountable nouns/plural countable nouns.
 A little, a lot of, a great deal of, much are used with uncountable nouns.
 More, most, a lot of, enough, adequate, some are used with uncountable nouns/plural countable nouns.
 A few, several, many, both are used with plural nouns.
 The, some, any, my, her, your, our, their, its, which, whose, what are used with any type of noun.

Check Point 2
1. Fill in the blanks using suitable quantifiers.
(a) Class XI students have had ……….. of homework in mathematics recently.
(b) How ……….. time do you need to finish the work?
(c) There are too ……….. students in the library.
(d) Have you visited ……….. foreign countries recently?
(e) Although he’s very ill, he didn’t take ……….. medicine.
Answer:
(a) lots
(b) much
(C) many
(d) any
(e) any

2. Fill in the blanks with quantifiers from the options given. Hints are given in brackets to guide you.
(i) There’s hard……….. sunlight in London in the winter. (I expect you will say ‘yes’, because Lodon is too much
cold.)
(a) some
(b) any
(c) many
(d) few
Answer:
(b) any

(ii) Could you give me ……….. your time and your money?
(A request -1 expect you will say ‘yes’.)
(a) each
(b) little
(c) enough
(d) both
Answer:
(d) both

(iii) Did you buy ……….. butter? (I expect you will say ‘yes’, because we talked about it before.)
(a) some
(b) any
(c) little
(d) less
Answer:
(a) some

3. Replace the personal pronouns (in brackets) with possessive determiners from the options given in brackets
after the blanks.
(a) Sunita likes (she) ……….. (her / its / my / his) dog.
(b) She goes to college with (she) ……….. (their / our /her / his) brother.
(c) (It) ……….. (Your / Our / Her / Its) name is Tommy.
(d) (He) ……….. (His / Her / Our / Its) favourite hobby is collecting matchbox labels.
(e) (I) ……….. (Your / My / His / Her) husband and I want to go to Mumbai.
(f) Where is (I) ……….. (their / its / my / our) school bag?
(g) We want to see (ii) ……….. (their / these / her / our) historical monuments.
(h) (You) ……….. (My / Your / His / Her) laptop is very expensive.
(i) Here is (we) ……….. (our / their / your / his) professor.
(j) (They) ……….. (Its / Their / Her / His) father works in the government.
Answer:
(a) her
(b) her
(c) Its
(d) His
(e) My
(f) my
(g) its
(h) Your
(i) our
(j) Their

Error Correction
Detect the error or determiners in the sentences given below and correct them:

1. I am going to post office. It is near the central park.

2. She lives near temple on Civil Road.
3. He is a boy who helps me in need.
4. There is little milk in the jug. You may use it.
5. Much of the people who went there lost their belongings.
6. Avoid eating too many butter.
7. Sarojini wrote much of her poems when she was young.
8. Their all efforts went up in smoke.
9. All of the playground was waterlogged.
10. Neither of us did not knew the answer.
11. Almost all her time is spent on buying clothes and cosmetics.
12. All person have to shape his own destiny.
13. Don’t pay some attention to what that silly hag says.
14. Everyone takes little time to settle down at a new place.
15. I phoned her many times but each time there were no answers.

Answers:

1. I am going to the post office. It is near the central park.

2. She lives near the temple on Civil Road.
3. He is the boy who helps me in need
4. There is a little/(some) milk in the jug. You may use it.
5. Much of the people who went there lost their belongings.
6. Avoid eating too much butter.
7. Sarojini wrote many of her poems when she was young.
8. All of their efforts went up in smoke.
9. The whole of the playground was waterlogged.
10. Neither of us knew the answer.
 11. Almost all of her time is spent on buying clothes and cosmetics.
12. Every person has to shape his own destiny.
13. Don’t pay any attention to what that silly hag says.
14. Everyone takes a little time to settle down at a new place.
15. I phoned her many times but every time there was no answer.

Editing Tasks
The following passage has not been edited. There is an error in each line against which blanks are given. Write the
incorrect word and the correction in the spaces provided. Remember to underline the word that you have supplied.

Editing Task for 11th Class CBSE 1

 Incorrect Correct

(a) Much people wonder  ………………………  ………………………

(b) why a food processing and  ………………………  ………………………

(c) packaging industry adds so many  ………………………  ………………………

(d) extra sugar, salt or oil to their offerings.  ………………………  ………………………

(e) The simple answer is that a food which is

 ………………………  ………………………
processed and packaged

(f) has little or none taste left in it.  ………………………  ………………………

(g) Without an extra sugar, salt and oil, packaged

 ………………………  ………………………
food would be tasteless.

(h) So, it becomes the necessary evil.  ………………………  ………………………

 Answer:
(a) Much – Many
(b) a – the
(c) many – much
(d) their – its
(e) a – the
(f) none – no
(g) an – the
(h) the – a

Editing Task for 11th Class CBSE 2

 Incorrect Correct

(a) It’s an wet Sunday afternoon.  ………………………  ………………………

(b) A pitter-patter of tiny droplets  ………………………  ………………………

(c) has turned into the downpour.  ………………………  ………………………

(d) I’m in bed listening to a rhythm of falling

 ………………………  ………………………
rain. It’s the perfect

(e) day to curl up with the book.  ………………………  ………………………

(f) I reach out for its copy of Jhumpa Lahiri’s ‘The

 ………………………  ………………………
Lowland’.

Answer:
Incorrect – Correct
(a) an a – a
(b) A The – The
(c) the a – a
(d) a the – the
(e) the a – a
(f) its – my

Reordering of Sentences

Look at the following sentences given in a disorderly form. Reorder (Rearrange) them to form meaningful
sentences.

1. each/last/it/week/rained/day.
2. city/a few/have/this/in/I/friends
3. mangoes/ripe/all/are/these
4. write/she/with/can/hand/either
5. stock/sugar/there is/the/in/much ..
6. sisters/the/to marry/refused/both
7. there/news/is/any?
8. milk/jug/some/the/in/is/there
9. do/money/want/much/you/how?
10. class/boys/your/in/many/are there/how?

Answer:

1. It rained each day last week.

2. I have a few Mends in this city.
3. All these mangoes are ripe.
4. She can write with either hand.
 5. There is much sugar in the stock.
6. Both the sisters refused to marry.
7. Is there any news?
8. There is some milk in the jug.
9. How much money do you want?
10. How many boys are there in your class?

Transformation of Sentences

Select the option which transforms the given sentence without changing its meaning.

1. Lead is the heaviest of all metals.

(a) Lead is heavier than other metals.
(b) Lead is heaviest all than other metals.
(c) Lead is heaviest than all other metals.
(d) Lead is heavy than all other metals.
Answer:
(c) Lead is heaviest than all other metals.

2. Who can count the stars?

(a) Can one count the stars?
(b) None can count the stars.
(c) Someone can count the stars.
(d) Anyone can count the stars.
Answer:
(b) None can count the stars.

3. Delhi is one of the biggest Indian cities.

(a) Delhi is biggest than most other Indian cities.
(b) Delhi is bigger than any other Indian cities.
(c) Delhi is big than most other Indian cities.
(d) Delhi is bigger than most other Indian cities.
Answer:
(d) Delhi is bigger than most other Indian cities.

4. Was Bhuvnesh a coward?

(a) Wasn’t Bhuvnesh a coward?
(b) Bhuvnesh was no coward.
(c) Bhuvnesh is not coward.
(d) Bhuvnesh was coward.
Answer:
(b) Bhuvnesh was no coward,

5. Only Mukesh was present in the hall.

(a) None but Mukesh is present in the hall.
(b) None but Mukesh presents at the hall.
(c) None but Mukesh was present at the hall.
(d) Only Mukesh was present.
Answer:
(c) None but Mukesh was present at the hail.