What is a determiner?

A determiner is a pre-modifier that comes before a noun in a noun phrase. The main kinds are articles (a/an, the), demonstratives (this, that, these, those), numerals (one, first), quantifiers (many, much, some), possessives (my, Ram's), distributives (each, every, either, neither) and wh-determiners (which, whose, what).

What is the difference between a/an and the?

'a/an' is the indefinite article, used before a singular count noun that is not specific (a book, an orange). 'the' is the definite article, used when we make a specific reference or the hearer already knows what we mean (the book I lent you).

When do we use 'a' and when 'an'?

We use 'a' before a word beginning with a consonant sound (a boy, a university, a European) and 'an' before a word beginning with a vowel sound (an orange, an hour, an MP). It is the sound, not the spelling, that decides.

What is the correct sequence of determiners?

When more than one determiner is used, they follow a fixed order: pre-determiner/quantifier (all, both, such) → possessive or article → ordinal → cardinal. For example, 'All my last two sons' or 'such a bird'. This order cannot be changed.

When do we use no article before a noun?

We use no article before institutions used for their basic purpose (go to school, in hospital, to bed), general modes of transport (by bus, by train, on foot), exact times of day (at noon, at sunset), most country names (India, China), languages (French), and plural or uncountable nouns used in a general sense.

Grammar Chapter 8: Determiners

Learn and Practise Grammar · Articles, Quantifiers & more

English Grammar · Odisha Board Class 9 · Notes + Solved Activities + 25 Quiz

📖 Grammar Chapter 8 — Determiners: Determiners are the words that come before a noun. This chapter covers all the kinds — articles, demonstratives, numerals, quantifiers, possessives, distributives and wh-words — the fixed order in which they come, and all the rules for using a / an / the and for leaving out the article.

A. The Kinds of Determiners

Type	Words	Use
Articles	a / an, the	a/an = indefinite (singular count, non-specific); the = definite (specific)
Demonstratives	this, that, these, those	this/that → singular count & uncount; these/those → plural count only
Numerals	one, two… (cardinals); first, second… (ordinals)	used alone or together (the first two boys)
Quantifiers	many, few, much, some, any, no, all…	show quantity (see below)
Possessives	Raja's (nominal); my, your, his, her, its, our, their (pronominal)	show possession; do NOT go with articles/demonstratives/quantifiers
Distributives	each, every, either, neither	each = separate individual; every = whole group
Wh-determiners	which, whose, what	which pen? whose book? what time?

Quantifiers — which noun they go with

many, few, a few, several → plural count nouns + plural verb.
much, little, a little → uncount nouns + singular verb.
any, no, some, enough, more, less, both, all, a lot of → both plural count & uncount nouns (verb agrees with the noun). any and no can also go with singular count nouns.

few vs a few: a few = some (a small number); few = almost none. little vs a little: a little = some (a small quantity); little = almost nothing.

B. The Sequence of Determiners

When more than one determiner is used, they follow a fixed order that we cannot change:

Pre-determiner / Quantifier (all, both, such) → Possessive / Article → Ordinal → Cardinal

My two sons · My last two sons · All my two sons · Both my / the sons · I have not seen such a bird.

C. Use of a / an (the Indefinite Article)

before a singular count noun with a consonant sound → a boy, a house, a European, a university;
before a singular count noun with a vowel sound → an orange, an hour, an elephant, an MP, an NCC cadet;
before names of professions → Mr Dash is a teacher;
before a singular count noun to mean a whole class → A tiger is a wild animal (= all tigers);
before a particular meal → We had a nice lunch today;
‘a’ = one with numbers / weight / measure → a hundred rupees, thirty rupees a kilo.

D. Use of the (the Definite Article)

for a second / later mention → I bought a house and the house is big;
when the hearer knows which one → The headmaster called the peon;
with superlatives → Meera is the fastest runner;
with an adjective for a class of people (+ plural verb) → The rich should help the poor; the blind, the young;
with nationality adjectives → The English, the Japanese (but ‘English/Japanese’ alone = the languages);
with unique structures → the Taj Mahal, the Eiffel Tower;
before great books / newspapers → the Gita, the Bible, the Times of India;
before service systems & musical instruments → the phone, the radio, the next train, the piano, the guitar;
before rivers, oceans, seas, mountain ranges → the Ganga, the Pacific, the Himalayas (but not single mountains / lakes: Mount Everest, Chilika Lake);
before federation / kingdom countries & island groups → the USA, the UK, the UAE, the Andamans (but not most countries: India, China; or big islands: Australia, Sri Lanka);
before astronomical bodies → the sun, the moon, the earth.

E. Nouns without an Article (Zero Article)

Case	No article (basic use)	With ‘the’ (other use)
Institutions	go to school, in hospital, to bed (basic purpose)	to the school (to escort), in the hospital (as attendant)
Transport	by bus, by train, by car, on foot (general)	I took the / a bus (specific journey)
Time	at noon, at sunset, by night (exact time)	during the day, in the morning (longer duration)

Also no article before most country names (India, Japan) and languages (I can't speak French).

💡 Quick Recap

① Determiners = articles, demonstratives, numerals, quantifiers, possessives, distributives, wh-words. ② a before a consonant sound, an before a vowel sound; the = specific. ③ Order: quantifier → possessive/article → ordinal → cardinal. ④ Use the with superlatives, class-of-people, rivers/oceans, unique structures. ⑤ No article for school/hospital/bed (basic), by bus/train, at noon, India, French.

Solved Textbook Activities (with answers)

A1Activity 1 — Choose the appropriate determiner.

(i) This water is clean. (this/these) (ii) That girl over there is my sister. (this/that) (iii) The first boy in the queue is from my class. (one/first) (iv) Many trees were cut off. (many/much) (v) There isn't much oil in the lamp. (many/much) (vi) I have a few problems now. (a few/a little) (vii) Can you draw any picture? (any/many) (viii) He has a lot of property. (much/a lot of) (ix) Give a biscuit to each child. (every/each) (x) Every one in the meeting laughed at the joke. (each/every)

B2Activity 2 — Correct the order of determiners.

(i) The two last boys… → The last two boys in the queue came late. (ii) His all sisters… → All his sisters are doctors. (iii) My both sons… → Both my sons are in school now. (iv) The one third girls… → The first three girls will each get a scholarship. (v) Five those boys… → Those five boys belong to this class. (vi) How can you tell a such thing? → How can you tell such a thing? (vii) These all five books… → All these five books are new. (viii) I got the double benefit. → I got double the benefit. (ix) He has a such little knowledge! → He has such little knowledge! (x) The all water has become dirty. → All the water has become dirty.

3Activity 3 — Correct the determiner/adjective errors (Madan Babu passage).

beautiful two → two beautiful (done) His all children → All his children his both daughters → both his daughters has to spend much money → a lot of money hardly much money left → hardly any money one day his all children → all his children get any good employment → some good employment not borrow no more → not borrow any more

4Activity 4 — Fill with a or an.

(i) A cow gives us milk. (ii) Manoj is an honest worker. (iii) Are you a university student? (iv) An oak tree lives very long. (v) I have been waiting here for an hour. (vi) An elephant is a wild animal. (vii) The computer is a useful machine. (viii) Capt Nayak is an NCC officer.

5Activity 5 — Fill with ‘the’ if needed, else put a cross (×).

(i) Mr Pujari is the headmaster of our school. (ii) I can see a lot of people on the beach. (iii) Mina is the tallest girl in our class. (iv) This school is meant for the blind and the deaf. (v) I cannot speak × French well. (vi) The French are artistic people.

6Activity 6 — Correct the article errors (journey passage).

by the car → by car (done) · by the train → by train · in hour's time → in an hour's time · on the both sides → on both sides · provided grand scene → provided a grand scene · could see sun setting → the sun · one side of sea → the sea · moon rising → the moon · It was rare sight → a rare sight · the Sri Lanka → Sri Lanka · Palk Strait → The Palk Strait · on Nilgiri Hills → the Nilgiri Hills · Ooty is cool place → a cool place · by the bus → by bus · capital of Karnatak → the capital of Karnataka · by the air → by air · in two hours time → in two hours' time

7Activity 7 — Fill with ‘the’ if needed, else a cross (×).

(i) I am going to the hospital to meet a friend. (ii) Did you come here by × bus or by taxi? (iii) We started work in the morning and finished it in the evening. (iv) The criminal was sent to × prison. (v) Everyday I go to × bed at × ten o'clock. (vi) If you want to travel by × sea, take the morning ship. (vii) You will find the book on the bed. (viii) Birds leave their nests at × daybreak. (ix) It is hot during the day and cool during the night. (x) It is difficult to see at × night.

8Activity 8 — Insert a / the where needed (picnic passage).

Once the students of our class planned to go on a picnic to Chilka. We decided to go by bus. We bought the food materials we needed. We also bought wood for fuel. On the way we stopped at a place and got some cold drinks from a shop. At the picnic spot we had a lot of fun. We enjoyed the music and dance performed by some students. We also went to Kalijai by boat. We enjoyed the boat journey very much. At noon we had our food and before evening we came back to school.