The Noun Phrase
Determiners
There is a characteristic function in the internal structure of the noun phrase which
makes it different from the adjective phrase and the adverb phrase, this is the determiner
function.
The determiner is invariably the first element that appears in the noun phrase.
eg. That thick book over there
The man I told you about
My sister Mary
Every time you come
Any person who wants to
Another year
A well educated man
Types of determiners
In Quirk et al (1985) we find that determiners are divided into three main types:
1-central determiners
2-predeterminers
3-postdeterminers
Their names come from the position they occupy in the noun phrase in relation to each
other.
•1-Central determiners
• The most common and typical are the definite and indefinite articles, the and a/
an. Other central determiners are: this, that, every, each, no and some. We may
summarize the main characteristics of central determiners as:
•It cannot be realized more than once.
• eg. *Every the book *His a car
•A syntactic characteristic of this function is that it can only be realized by
members of a closed class.
•Semantically, we can say that the determiner determines the reference of the
noun phrase, that is, it specifies whether it’s definite or indefinite and if one or
more referents are intended.
