What is the difference between a dog and the dog? Those tiny words may be small, but they do a big job. They help us understand which person, place, animal, or thing we mean. When we say the right little word, our writing and speaking become clear.
A determiner is a small word that comes before a noun, like cat, book, hat, or tree. Determiners help tell us more about the noun.
Determiners are words that come before nouns to help show which one, what kind, or how many. Some common determiners are a, an, the, this, that, these, and those.
Look at these examples: a ball, the ball, this ball, those balls. The noun is ball or balls. The determiner comes first and gives the listener or reader a clue.
We do not usually say just I see ball. We usually say I see a ball or I see the ball. The determiner makes the sentence sound complete and clear.
Articles are special determiners. The articles are a, an, and the.
We use a to mean one when the next word begins with a consonant sound. We say a cat, a dog, and a red kite.
We use an to mean one when the next word begins with a vowel sound. We say an apple, an egg, and an orange. Listen to the beginning sound. If it starts with a vowel sound, an often fits best.
We use the when we mean a special person or thing that we already know about. If there are many books in a room, I can say, I see a book. If we both know which book I mean, I can say, I see the book.
Examples with articles
Step 1: One apple, any apple
I have an apple.
Step 2: A special apple we know
The apple is red.
Step 3: One ball, any ball
She kicks a ball.
Here is an easy way to think about it: a and an can mean one of many. The can mean this special one.
Some determiners help us point. These are called demonstratives. The words are this, that, these, and those.
Use this for one thing that is near. Use that for one thing that is far. Use these for more than one thing that is near. Use those for more than one thing that is far.
| Determiner | How many? | Near or far? | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| this | one | near | this book |
| that | one | far | that book |
| these | more than one | near | these books |
| those | more than one | far | those books |
Table 1. Demonstratives that show near or far and one or more than one.
Think about a classroom. If a pencil is in your hand, you can say, this pencil. If a pencil is across the room, you can say, that pencil. If crayons are on your desk, you can say, these crayons. If the crayons are on a shelf far away, you can say, those crayons.
These four little words do two jobs at once. They tell us how many things there are and whether the things are near or far.
Be careful to match the determiner to the noun. This and that go with one thing: this cookie, that star. These and those go with more than one thing: these cookies, those stars.
Determiners usually come right before the noun. We can see them in short sentences and in longer sentences too.
A bird sings. Here, a comes before bird.
The little bird sings in the tree. Here, the comes before bird, and the also comes before tree.
These ducks swim. Here, these comes before ducks.
That car is blue. Here, that comes before car.
Determiners help listeners and readers understand exactly what you mean. If you say Bring book, the idea is not clear. If you say Bring the book, the listener knows you mean one special book. If you say Bring a book, the listener knows any one book is fine.
Sometimes there is an adjective between the determiner and the noun. The determiner still comes first. We say a happy dog, the tall tree, and those shiny rocks.
Good writers choose determiners carefully. First, think: Do I mean one thing or more than one thing? Next, think: Is it any one thing, or a special thing we know? Then, if you are using a pointing word, think: Is it near or far?
Use a or an with one thing. We usually do not say a cats or an dogs. For more than one, we might say the cats, these cats, or those dogs.
Listen for sound with a and an. We say a hat but an igloo. We say a bug but an owl.
Remember that a noun can name a person, place, animal, or thing. Determiners work with nouns, so first find the noun, then choose the little word that fits in front of it.
Here are some common mistakes and fixes: an dog should be a dog. this books should be these books. those kite should be that kite if there is one kite, or those kites if there is more than one.
At breakfast, you might say, I ate an egg. In the park, you might say, Look at that swing. In the library, you might say, The book is on the table. In art class, you might say, These markers are bright.
Storybooks use determiners all the time. A story may begin with There was a bear in a cave. Later, after we know the bear, the story may say The bear went outside. That change from a to the helps the story make sense.
Sentence pairs
Step 1: Any one thing
We saw a frog.
Step 2: The same frog later
The frog jumped.
Step 3: Pointing to things
This frog is tiny. Those frogs are loud.
When you speak and write, these small words help make your ideas clear and precise. They may be tiny, but they are important parts of every sentence.
