Determiner Order
As you know, pre-determiners, determiners, and post-determiners can be used together to modify a noun. In this lesson, we will learn about their order.
Why Do You Learn Determiner Orders?
There are pre-determiners, determiners, and post-determiners in English which can or cannot be used at the same time.
All of them are followed by a head noun. Take a look at the determiners on the list:
- pre-determiners
- multipliers
- fractions
- intensifier
- some distributives
- central determiners
- post-determiners
- numerals
- sequencers
- quantifier
- some distributives
How Do We Use Determiners?
As you know there are different types of pre-determiners, determiners, and post-determiners. These determiners are used in special orders followed by a head noun to make noun phrases. Let us take a look at the determiners that can be used with each other at the same time:
Pre-determiners and Central Determiners
Some pre-determiners cannot be used with central determiners. Check out the table below to get to know them:
| Art. | Dem. | Pos. | Int. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Multiplier | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Fraction | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Intensifier | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Distributive | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
Multipliers and Central Determiners
Multipliers can be placed before every central determiner except interrogative determiners. Here are a few examples that may help you understand them better:
We exercise
These shoes are
He ate
Fractions and Central Determiners
Fractions can be used with every central determiner except the interrogative determiners. Here are the examples:
It took
She wears
Intensifiers with Central Determiners
Intensifiers are used with articles and not any other central determiners. Here are a few examples:
He is
He is
I can't solve
Distributives and Central Determiners
Distributives are used with every type of central determiner except interrogative determiners. Here are the examples that can help you learn more about them:
using pre-determiners to modify a noun
Post-determiners and Central Determiners
Some post-determiners are used alone with no determiners preceding them. As a result, it is important to know which post-determiners can appear with central determiners at the same time. Here are the determiners and post-determiners on the table:
| Numerals | Quantifiers | Distributives | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Dem. | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Pos. | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Int. | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Numerals and Central Determiners
Only interrogative determiners cannot be used with numeral post-determiners. Check out the examples to help you learn better:
Quantifiers with Central Determiners
Quantifiers cannot be used with interrogative and possessive determiners. Check out these examples for more clarification:
We have
I talked to
Distributives with Central Determiners
Distributive determiners are only used alone as a post-determiner, but they cannot be used with central determiners at the same time. Check these examples out:
Can We Use Post-determiners and Pre-determiners Together?
There are only a few structures of post-determiners and pre-determiners that can be used together at the same time. Here are the structures:
- distributive (pre-determiner) + article + numeral + head noun
Here is an example of this structure:
I will have fun
- multiplier (pre-determiner) + possessive + numerals (post-determiner)
Check the example out to get to know this structure:
- distributive (pre-determiner) + demonstrative + numeral (post-determiner)
In this example, the above structure is used:
- distributive (pre-determiner) + possessive + numeral (post-determiner)
Check out the example for more clarification:
Determiners of the Same Category
Two central determiners or two pre-determiners cannot be used with each other at the same time, but there are two post-determiners that are possible to be used with each other. Here is the structure and the example:
- numeral (sequencer) + quantifier + etc.
I will give birth to my baby in the
Partitives as Pre-determiners
We can use both definite and indefinite partitives as pre-determiners. But remember, the first part of the partitive which contains a number, or article (a, one, two, one hundred, etc.) is included in the structure of the partitive, therefore the whole formation is used as a pre-determiner. Here are the examples:
Their is a central determiner that is used after the partitive pre-determiner.
Review
Pre-determiners cannot be used with every central determiner pr post-determiner at the same time. So there is a particular order for each determiner to be used in combination with another.
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