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Adam
Community Tutor📘 What is a Determiner?
A determiner is a word that goes before a noun to give us more information about which one, how many, or whose thing we’re talking about.
🔑 Why do we use Determiners?
Without determiners, sentences can sound unclear or unnatural.
Compare:
❌ I bought apple. - sounds bad and wrong to english ears
✅ I bought an apple.
📚 Types of Determiners
1. Articles
Used to show if we’re talking about something specific or general.
➤ a / an (indefinite)
Used when it's not specific or when mentioning something for the first time.
a = before words starting with a consonant sound
👉 a dog, a house, a university
an = before words starting with a vowel sound
👉 an apple, an hour, an umbrella
➤ the (definite)
Used when it's clear which one we mean or we've mentioned it before.
👉 The dog is sleeping.
👉 I saw a bird. The bird was blue.
Jun 20, 2025 2:56 PM
Adam
Language Skills
Austrian German, English, Spanish
Learning Language
Spanish
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