A practical english grammar - Vyssaja skola 1978
Use of the noun determiners
Sound symbols
The. The use of the definite article was discussed in Chapter 1.
Possessive pronouns. My, your, his, etc., are the forms of the possessive pronouns that are used before nouns. Possessive nouns, like Charles’s, my father’s, that old man’s, are used in the same way as the possessive pronouns. When the and a possessive noun both occur before another noun, the identifies the possessive noun, not the head noun, except in the case of compounds like women’s club, bird’s nest, etc.
1 That is any noun except proper nouns, with which noun determiners are not used: John, Mary, Washington, etc.
2 When some and any are stressed and mean ’’certain ones, but not all” they may precede nouns of any type.
3 When some and any are spoken with weak stress and mean “a quantity of,” they precede mass nouns and plural count nouns only.
Wh-words. Which, what, and whose can be interrogative. They select an object, or group of objects, from the class to which it belongs: which hat?, what flowers?, whose book?
Whichever and whatever. These words mean “no matter which.”
I’ll take whichever book you suggest.
Whatever time he comes, we’ll be ready.
No. This noun determiner can occur before singular as well as plural nouns: no money, no man, no men.
No man would do a thing like that.
I have no money.
Were there no children there?
One of the dangers in using no as a noun determiner is that the speaker will make a “double negative,” a construction that has been used in English for centuries and is still very much alive in substandard language but is considered vulgar and illiterate today: “I haven’t got no money,” “I never buy no ice cream,” etc. No must never be used in the same construction as n’t, not, hardly, scarcely, never, etc.; the correct noun determiner to use when these negative expressions are present is any, a/an, or nothing at all.
I don’t have any brothers.
I have no brothers.
Doesn’t he have a brother?
I never have any time these days.
I have no time these days.
Don’t you have money?
Some and any. When these words are stressed before singular count nouns, they mean, respectively, “a ... that I can’t identify” or “no matter which.” They must be distinguished from some and any with weak stress, which are used only before mass nouns or plural count nouns and express quantity. Some with stress before a plural count noun means “certain, but not all.”
Some child knocked on the door just now.
Any day will do; come whenever you can.
Some people don’t like ice cream.
This, that. These demonstratives can be used before any noun that is grammatically singular, whether a mass noun or a count noun.
A/An. The use of the indefinite article was discussed in Chapter 1. The student must remember that singular count nouns are almost never used in English without some kind of noun determiner in front of them, and if the item has not been introduced into the context already, or if it is not identified at the time it is first mentioned, the correct determiner to use is a/an.
Open a window. (There are several in the room.)
Give me an apple.
Do you need a pencil?
Each, every. These words indicate that the members of a group are to be considered one at a time; they also indicate that what is said of one is true of all.
Each child has its own seat.
We gave a ticket to every person in the crowd.
Either, neither. These words indicate that a choice is to be made, usually between two things. Either is used in affirmative or negative contexts; neither must not be used if another negative word is present.
Either book will be all right.
I didn’t like either picture.
Neither picture is satisfactory.
One. The numeral one is used only before singular count nouns: one man, one country, one minute. It can never be used before mass nouns, such as water, sugar, etc. It can be used with stress at the same time as the or a possessive word, in which case it means something like “only”: the one reason, my one complaint.
Another means “one in addition to the one, or ones, already mentioned” or “a different one.”
Many a is a slightly old-fashioned expression that means “numerous” but is always used before singular nouns:
I’ve had many a good time in that house.
That old lady has held many a child on her knee.
Other can be used before singular count nouns only if the, this, that, or some other noun determiner precedes it.
the other house
my other book
which other book?
every other child
one other lesson
Much is used as a noun determiner only before mass nouns. In informal speech, it is used only in negative or interrogative contexts (a lot of or some other expression being used in affirmative contexts).
We don’t have much time left.
Do you have much money?
Much work remains to be done. (Formal)
Little, a little. These expressions occur only before mass nouns. Little stresses the smallness of the quantity; a little is more positive, implying that, while the quantity is small, it will perhaps be sufficient.
I have little money. (That is, I am poor.)
I have a little money. (I don’t have much money, but I have enough for the purpose being discussed.)
A good (great) deal of. These expressions are used before mass nouns to express a large quantity. A good deal of is not used with negative verbs.
They have a good deal of money.
We don’t have a great deal of time.
Some, any. Spoken with weak stress, before mass nouns or plural count nouns, these words express an indefinite quantity. Their meaning is very similar to that of a/an before singular count nouns. Some is used in affirmative contexts and any in negative and interrogative ones. (Some may be used in questions if the questioner expects an affirmative answer.)
There are some apples in the bowl.
I’d like to buy some thread.
They don’t have any sugar.
Do you have any brothers?
Would you like some tea?
Sometimes any is used in informal style before singular count nouns in negative contexts to mean, along with the negative verb, approximately the same thing as “none at all.” It makes the negative more emphatic.
I don’t see any tree on the top of that hill.
Approximately the same meaning as weak-stressed some or any can occasionally be expressed by no noun determiner whatever.
There are apples in the bowl.
More, most. These words compare quantities when used before mass nouns and plural count nouns. Most is often preceded by the.
More people drink cow’s milk than goat’s milk.
We have more time than money.
Most people here send their children to that school.
Who has the most correct answers?
All (the). Without the, all has a universal meaning; with the, it means the entire group of things being considered, without exception.
All birds lay eggs. (Without exception, everywhere, always.) All the birds were singing. (The entire group of birds being considered.)
All may be combined with a possessive word, or with this, that, these or those, other, or any numeral from three on. There must be at least three individuals in any group of things referred to by all; if there are only two, then both is used. The grammar of both is very similar to that of all.
All Mr. Smith’s property was destroyed.
All these jewels are mine.
He lost interest in all other girls after he met Lucy.
All three houses are for sale.
When all qualifies the subject of a verb, it may be displaced from its position in front of the noun and placed near the verb, according to the same rules that govern the position of the adverbs of frequency (never, always, etc.); see Chapter 16 for a statement of these rules.
Birds all lay eggs.
The birds were all singing.
My brothers are all doctors.
These jewels are all mine.
The three houses are all for sale.
All may qualify personal pronouns; in this case, however, it comes after the pronoun.
us all
you all
them all
If the pronoun is the subject of the verb, then the position of all next to the main verb is preferred, but is not required in the case of we and you.
We can all come. You may all go. They couldn’t all hear me. We all can come. You all may go.
All is used with mass nouns in all of the ways described above.
All sugar is sweet. Sugar is all sweet.
All this rice is yours. This rice is all yours.
All my time is filled. My time is all filled.
When all qualifies the object of a separable two-word verb and the object comes between the two parts, all occurs after the object—just before the adverbial part of the verb...
We picked them all up.
He looked the words all up. (also:
He looked up all the words.
He looked all the words up.)
A lot of, lots of. These expressions are somewhat informal. They are usually replaced in formal style by many before plural count nouns and much before mass nouns. (Much and many are used, as a rule, only in negative and interrogative contexts in informal style.)
There were lots of people at the meeting.
There were many people at the meeting.
Did you visit a lot of countries on your trip?
There isn’t much time.
Other. This word does not often occur before mass nouns without the or some other noun determiner along with it; before plural count nouns it may occur alone or with some other noun determiner. It is often used to contrast one group of things with another, along with stressed some.
Some people like coffee, other people like tea.
Do you have any other ink? This is the wrong color.
My other cousins live in France.
Enough. This word may occur either before or after its noun. It is quite frequent in connection with the infinitive of potentiality. See Chapter 15.
We have enough time to visit the museum.
We have time enough to visit the museum.
No one ever has enough friends.
These, those. These demonstratives are restricted to use before plural nouns.
Many. Used before plurals in informal style only in negative and interrogative contexts, as was pointed out in connection with a lot of, above.
Few, a few. These expressions, used only before plural nouns, resemble little and a little, discussed earlier. Few emphasizes the smallness of the number; a few suggests that it will perhaps be sufficient for the purpose in mind.
He has few friends. (He is almost friendless; almost nobody likes him.)
He has a few friends. (His friends are not numerous, but he is not totally lacking.)
These words are not used in negative contexts.
Several expresses a small, indefinite number before plural nouns.
Here are several books that you may find useful.
Two, three, etc. The numerals from two on precede plural nouns only. They may themselves be preceded by the, a possessive word, other, these, those, all and the wh- noun determiners. Other may follow the numeral.
my two brothers
these three apples
the other two men
which three books?
the six other men
all six men
When quantities of things are thought of as units or groups, another may precede the plural numbers.
another five pages (= five more pages)
Both (the). The grammar of both is almost identical with that of all, except that it must refer to a group containing exactly two individuals and no more, and it can not be used before mass nouns. In particular, its displacement next to the verb and its behavior with the objects of two-word verbs are exactly like the corresponding behavior of all.
Both their children (they have two) are with them this summer.
Their children are both with them this summer.
Both houses are for sale.
The houses are both for sale.
He called up both girls.
He called both girls up.
He gave it to us both.
I like you both.
Let’s take them both.