LoginPost-determiners
Master post-determiners, which provide detailed information or quantity about nouns. Clear explanations and practice exercises to help you learn.
What Are Post-determiners?
Post-determiners are words or phrases that come on their own or after the central determiners in a noun phrase to provide additional information and modify the noun.
Post-determiners: Types
There are different types of post-determiners:
some quantifiers
Numerals as Post-determiners
Cardinal numbers are the main members of numeral post-determiners. These numbers represent quantity or number, such as one, two, three, four, and so on. They are used to count or measure things and cannot be used with uncountable nouns. Check out the examples:
I found these two cats on the street. They were homeless.
Here, 'these' is the central determiner and the cardinal number 'two' comes after it.
I was a man who was carrying fifty books in his hands.
Tip!
Ordinal numbers such as 'first,' 'fifth,' 'tenth,' 'twenty thousandth,' etc., as well as some general ordinals or sequencers like 'next,' 'last,' 'previous,' 'final,' etc. share some of the qualities of determiners, such as their placement in the noun phrase. However, they are not typically included in the class of post-determiners and are more closely associated with adjectives because rather than showing definiteness or quantity of a noun, they exhibit its position in a series or order. Additionally, they can be modified by a degree adverb.
The very first time I saw you, I had no idea that we would be best friends.
This is the last time.
The next part of the book is dedicated to a famous actor.
Quantifiers as Post-determiners
Certain words known as quantifiers, including many (used with countable nouns), much (used with uncountable nouns), other, little (used with uncountable nouns), few (used with countable nouns), several, etc. can be used as post-determiners in a noun phrase. They can be placed after central determiners or pre-determiners to provide additional information about the quantity or amount of the noun being described. Check out the examples:
I gave the issue much thought.
Those few moments that we spent together were precious.
Tip!
These quantifiers also exhibit some adjective-like qualities. For example, they can be modified by adverbs. However, since both their position and quantification function matches qualities of determiners, they are considered as part of the post-determiner class.
I saw too many people in the room.
The very few people who had attended the session dispersed.
Review
Post-determiners are used after central determiners to modify a noun. Here are the different types of post-determiners.
numerals: one, fifty, eighty-nine, two thousand
some quantifiers: many, much, few, several
Quiz:
Sort the words to form a correct sentence.
Which option contains a post-determiner?
my big dog
the first time
those several attempts
a happy child
Match each sentence to its determiner pattern.
Which sentence does not use a post-determiner correctly?
She has many books
I need many money.
I have little time for arguments.
I need these two pencils
Complete each sentence using the correct post-determiner.
She made
mistakes. (few/little)
She adopted these
kittens from the shelter. (little/three)
She rejected the
job offers she received. (much/many)
The team wasted the
time they had left. (five/little)
They made
attempts at solving the problem. (much/several)
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