determiner
1
1.0
- noun
- /dɪˈtɜːrmɪnər/
- Specialized
:
determinante
- In the sentence 'The dog barked loudly,' the word the is a determiner that specifies which dog is being referred to.
- definite determiners
- determiner use
- determiner omission
Examples
-
As children mature, their scores on the language task increase and their omissions of direct objects and determiners decrease.
Academic text (2012) -
The most common errors were the use of function words (e.g., prepositions, conjunctions, and determiners).
Academic text (2014) -
Access to education is one determiner of success in society.
Academic text (1991) -
Perhaps the most important determiner of a civil war is the purpose for which violence is perpetrated.
Academic text (2007) -
But none had experience with portfolios as the sole determiner of their grade.
Academic text (1998) -
Previous research has demonstrated the primacy of the textbook as a determiner of course content.
Academic text (1990) -
In some middle schools, culture and gender are the primary determiners of peers with whom one will socialize.
Academic text (2002) -
To illustrate this, we compare the learning requirements of determiners and object pronouns.
Academic text (2012) -
In English, some is a determiner that indicates an indefinite quantity of nouns.
-
A determiner such as my helps to clarify whose book you are talking about.
Synonyms
5
1.0
A small word used before a noun to show if it is specific
1
8.5
A word placed before a noun that shows which one is meant, like 'the' or 'some'
How Specific
- Specialized
- Specialized
8
5.2
- Specialized
- Specialized
1
1.0
- Specialized
5
4.4
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
The word determiner comes from the Latin determinare, made from de- and terminare, and it originally meant 'to set a limit'. You can see the same root in the simple words term and terminal, which are about ends or limits, and that helps explain why a determiner puts a 'limit' or clear boundary on a noun—telling which one or how many, like 'the', 'a', or 'my'.