2 TYPES OF POWERFUL DETERMINERS – ‘DEMONSTRATIVE’ AND ‘POSSESSIVE’

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2 TYPES OF POWERFUL DETERMINERS – ‘DEMONSTRATIVE’ AND ‘POSSESSIVE’

Let us know the two types of determiners, is the Demonstrative and the Possessive. Let us thoroughly understand the first type of Determiner followed by a short revision to check your understanding.

Demonstrative Determiner include words like this, that, these, those to show something which is close or at a distance. There can be only one determiner in a noun phrase.

In terms of singularity, we will use the word ‘this’ to point out things that are near.

If things are far away, we will use the word ‘that’.

In terms of plural, we will use the word ‘these’ to point out things that are close to us.

If things are far, we will use the word ‘those’ to point out things that are far.

Let us understand with some examples,

  • I like this dress.
  • You could use these books.
  • I have to drive a long way this morning.
  • We don’t talk these days.
  • Did you see that big elephant?
  • Can you make out what these are?
  • Do you remember that girl we saw in class today?
  • Those mornings near the beach were awesome.

Demonstrative Determiners are very simple to understand and it is a very short topic, examples make it much easier to understand. 

The ‘Possessive Determiner’

The second type is used in order to show who is possessing or owning something.

‘my, your, his, her, its, our, their’ are the possessive types. We do not have to confuse these topics with the possessive pronoun, know that both of the topics are different. We look at the possessive determiners coming at the start of a noun phrase which is why they come prior to any type of adjective or adjectives.

Let us understand with some examples:

  1. This is my pen.
  2. His car is black in color.
  3. Her parents are not in London.
  4. The cat ate its food.
  5. We have purchased our car.
  6. The principal thanked all their staff.
  7. Your boots are lovely.
  8. This is your pen.
  9. Hurry up! You’re not reaching on time!
  10. You’re alright?

Remember that there will be no apostrophe while using the word ‘its’ in the possessive type of determiner. An apostrophe can be used to combine the words like ‘it is’ or ‘it has’.

Let us understand with examples:

‘It is thundering.’ – This sentence can also be written as ‘It’s thundering’

‘It is duly noted.’ – This sentence can also be written as ‘It’s duly noted.’

‘It is going to rain.‘ – This sentence can also be written as ‘It’s going to rain.’

Understanding these two types can prove to be beneficial to achieve fluency in learning the English language. The ladder for learning grammar is long but is also essential to climb that ladder in order to reach the peak. It will not just help you with speaking English but it will help you with all the English learning skills required to achieve fluency. Do not forget that practice makes a man perfect.