English Grammar Topic Determiners for Class 9 and its types | Determiners Exercise with Answer
Determiners are an important topic of English grammar for students of class 9. They are one of the nine parts of speech. Let us see a detailed lesson with practice questions and understand the nuances of determiners.
Let us comprehend what do we mean by determiner–
‘Determiner’ is a word used before a noun to indicate which things or people we are talking about. The words ‘a’, ‘the‘, ‘my’, ‘this’, ‘some’, ‘many’, etc. are called determiners.
For example:
This is my house,
The girl you met is my friend.
This book is very thought provoking.
The italicized words in the above examples are a few examples of determiners.
All determiners share some grammatical similarities:
Determiners come at the beginning of a noun phrase, before adjectives.
Determiners limit or “determine” a noun phrase in some way.
Many determiners are “mutually-exclusive”: we cannot have more than one of them in the same noun phrase.
If we do have more than one determiner, they go in a very specific order.
Types of Determiners:
S. No. |
Type of Determiners |
Examples |
1. |
Pre-determiners |
All, half, quite, such |
2. |
Articles |
a/an, the |
3. |
Demonstratives |
this/that, these/those |
4. |
Possessives |
my, your, his, her, its, our, their |
5. |
Ordinals |
First, second, next, last |
6. |
Cardinals/Numerals |
One, two, hundred, once, twice |
7. |
Quantifiers |
all, every, most, many, much, some, few, little, any, no |
8. |
Distributives |
Each, every, either, neither |
9. |
Interrogatives |
whose, what, which |
1. Pre-determiners
Pre-determiners are the words which occur before a determiner to limit the meaning of a noun.
Let us take a look at the examples
- All the boys joined the race.
- Both the boys were present.
2. Articles
The determiners a/an and the are called “articles”. They are the most common of all determiners. They come at the very beginning of a noun phrase. We divide them into “indefinite” and “definite” like this:
indefinite articles |
definite article |
|
a/an |
the |
|
use with |
singular countable nouns only |
all nouns |
use for |
a non-specific person or thing (singular) |
specific people or things (singular or plural) |
Let us take a look at the examples
- I saw a star last night.
- I saw the moon last night.
3. Demonstratives
The demonstrative determiners this/that, these/those point to something that is close or distant. The closeness can be in: space (next to the speaker, 20 metres from the speaker, 1000 km from the speaker) time (now, yesterday, last week, next year).
Like all determiners, demonstrative determiners come at the beginning of a noun phrase, so they come in front of any adjective(s).
Let us take a look at the examples
- I like that milkshake.
- I have to finish this by tonight.
4. Possessives
We use possessive determiners to show who owns or “possesses” something. The possessive determiners are: my, your, his, her, its, our, their
Let us take a look at the examples
- This is my house.
- The students thanked their teacher.
5. Ordinals
The ordinals show what position something has in a series.
Let us take a look at the examples
- He is the first boy who has joined this school.
- I shall meet him next week.
6. Cardinals/Numerals
Cardinals are ordinary numbers like one, two, three, etc. They show how many of something there are.
Let us take a look at the examples
- There were only ten boys in the class.
- She lived for eighty years.
7. Quantifiers
Quantifiers are determiners that describe quantity in a noun phrase. They answer the question “How many?” or “How much?”. We use some quantifiers only with countable nouns. We use some other quantifiers only with uncountable nouns. And we use some with countable or uncountable nouns.
Let us take a look at the examples
- I want all the eggs.
- I have some money.
8. Distributives
Distributive determiners refer to each single member of a group.
Let us take a look at the examples
- He met each guest.
- Either of the two girls should come here.
9. Interrogatives
The interrogative determiners are: what, which, whose.
Whose means “belonging to which person”: They didn’t know whose car it was. What is for asking for information specifying something: What time did you arrive? I wonder what reason he gave. Which is for asking for information specifying one or more people or things from a definite set: Which table would you prefer? I wonder which teacher told him that. Like all determiners, interrogative determiners come at the beginning of a noun phrase, so they come in front of any adjective(s).
Let us take a look at the examples
- Whose iphone was stolen?
- I asked her which italian restaurant she goes to.
Determiners Exercise with Answers (Practice Questions)
Fill in the blanks with suitable determiners out of the given options:
1. I saw ________ elephant.
(a) some
(b) Such
(c) You
(d) An
2. He has _________ a beautiful wife.
(a) The
(b) Such
(c) You
(d) An
3. ________ two children are lovely.
(a) A
(b) Such
(c) Your
(d) An
4. ________ is our penthouse.
(a) This
(b) Such
(c) You
(d) An
5. He is the _______ man to help you.
(a) The
(b) Last
(c) You
(d) An
6. What is your sister doing ________ days?
(a) These
(b) Such
(c) You
(d) An
7. How are ________ feeling today?
(a) The
(b) Such
(c) You
(d) An
8. Jane won _______ prize.
(a) two
(b) First
(c) Next
(d) An
9. The minister visited _________ flood-affected area.
(a) a
(b) First
(c) Next
(d) Every
10. I don’t know _________ non-fiction book he was reading.
(a) every
(b) Which
(c) Next
(d) An
Answers
1. (d) An
2. (b) Such
3. (c) Your
4. (a) This
5. (b) Last
6. (a) These
7. (c) You
8. (b) First
9. (d) Every
10. (b) Which
B Fill in the blanks with suitable determiners:
Yesterday I saw 1. ______ film titled Macbeth. Its story elements are interesting. The film’s hero, Macbeth, assassinates Duncan and ascends to 2. ______ throne of Scotland. But he is dissatisfied. He finds himself in a dangerous situation. He executes 3. _______ he suspects of plotting against him. Eventually, 4. ________ of the lords revolted and dethroned him and killed him. The message it conveys is that excessive ambition destroys 5. ________ man. The actor and actress who played Macbeth and Lady Macbeth had exceptional performances, which significantly increased 6. _________ film’s impact.
1. (a) The (b) A (c) Next (d) An
2. (a) The (b) Which (c) Next (d) An
3. (a) The (b) Which (c) Those (d) An
4. (a) The (b) Which (c) Some (d) An
5. (a) The (b) Which (c) Next (d) A
6. (a) These (b) Which (c) The (d) An
Answers
1. (b) A
2. (a) The
3. (c) Those
4. (c) Some
5. (a) The
6. (c) The
C Fill in the blanks with suitable determiners:
Everyone knows 1._______ paper is made from trees. But when one looks at trees, one cannot imagine that something so soft and fragile as paper is made from something so hard and strong. Plant materials such as wood are made of fibres known as cellulose. It is 2. ________ primary ingredient in paper making. Raw wood is 3. _________ converted into pulp consisting of 4. _________ mixture of Cellulose, lignin, water and some chemicals. The pulp can be made mechanically through grinders or through chemical processes. Short fibres are produced by mechanical grinding. 5. _________ paper produced in this way is weak and is used to make newspapers, magazines and phonebooks.
1. (a) that (b) Which (c) The (d) An
2. (a) The (b) Which (c) Those (d) An
3. (a) These (b) First (c) The (d) An
4. (a) These (b) Which (c) The (d) A
5. (a) These (b) Which (c) The (d) An
Answers
1. (a) That
2. (a) The
3. (b) First
4. (d) A
5. (c) The
D Fill in the blanks with suitable determiners:
Gardening is 1. __________ favourite hobby. I own 2. __________ small plot of land 3. ________ to our house. I cultivate there. Every day, I spend half 4. ________ hour gardening. After returning from my morning walk, I go to my garden with 5. ________ spade and a bucket of water.
1. (a) The (b) My (c) A (d) An
2. (a) The (b) My (c) A (d) An
3. (a) Next (b) My (c) A (d) An
4. (a) The (b) My (c) A (d) An
5. (a) The (b) My (c) A (d) An
Answers
1. (b) My
2. (c) A
3. (a) Next
4. (d) An
5. (c) A
E Fill in the blanks with suitable determiners:
After summers comes 1. __________ rainy season. It lasts from mid-June to the end of September. During 2. _________ time of the year, the sky is cloudy. It drizzles and rains cats and dogs sometimes. Rains provide relief from the oppressive summer heat. Green leaves are developed by the trees. Ponds and rivers are full of water. Monsoon is 3. _________ boon for farmers. Rainwater softens 4. ________ soil and makes it suitable for cultivation. Monsoon has 5. ________ disadvantages. Due to heavy and incessant rainfall, the roads, especially in villages, become muddy.
1. (a) The (b) My (c) A (d) An
2. (a) This (b) My (c) A (d) An
3. (a) The (b) My (c) A (d) An
4. (a) The (b) My (c) A (d) An
5. (a) The (b) My (c) A (d) Some
Answers
1. (a) The
2. (a) This
3. (c) A
4. (a) The
5. (d) Some
F Fill in the blanks with suitable determiners:
1._________ day was the last day of July. The day was very cheerful. I could not concentrate on my study. I left 2. _______ house in search of relief from the oppressive heat and walked to the riverbank. 3._______ pleasant breeze was blowing. It was invigorating. I was by myself. I walked west, taking in 4.________ sights. The birds in the nest were fluttering. Following the day’s work, people were bathing in the river. Darkness descended slowly on the earth. The trees and fields looked dark. Suddenly 5. _________ moon rose on the eastern horizon. The objects appeared so dark and silent everywhere.
1. (a) That (b) My (c) A (d) An
2. (a) the (b) some (c) A (d) An
3. (a) The (b) My (c) A (d) An
4. (a) The (b) My (c) A (d) An
5. (a) The (b) My (c) A (d) An
Answers
1. (a) That
2. (b) the
3. (c) A
4. (a) The
5. (a) The
G Fill in the blanks with suitable determiners:
Education for 1. ________ vocation (profession) is known as vocational education. 2. _______ of 3. _______ forms include computer applications, engineering, medicine, agriculture, business management, chartered accountancy, costing, etc. From 4. ______ perspective of India’s economic progress, it is very important. Moreover, 5. _________country is undergoing rapid industrialization. Business is expanding. Vocationally trained personnel, especially in computer applications, are required to run various industrial units, business establishments and trade centres.
1. (a) The (b) My (c) A (d) An
2. (a) The (b) My (c) A (d) Some
3. (a) Its (b) My (c) A (d) An
4. (a) The (b) My (c) A (d) An
5. (a) The (b) My (c) A (d) An
Answers
1. (c) A
2. (d) Some
3. (a) Its
4. (a) The
5. (a) The
H Fill in the blanks with suitable determiners:
Christmas is one of 1.________most famous and light-hearted festivals 2. ________ is celebrated across the world by billions of people. People of the Christian religion celebrate Christmas to remember the great works of Jesus Christ. 25th December is celebrated as Christmas Day across the world. Christians celebrate Christmas Day as the birth anniversary of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ of Bethlehem was 3. _______ spiritual leader and prophet whose teachings structure the premise of 4. ________ religion. People follow popular customs including exchanging gifts, decorating Christmas trees, attending church, sharing meals with family and friends and, obviously, trusting that Santa Claus will arrive. 25th December, Christmas Day, has been a federal holiday in 5. ________ United States since 1870.
1. (a) The (b) My (c) A (d) Some
2. (a) The (b) My (c) A (d) Which
3. (a) The (b) My (c) A (d) Some
4. (a) The (b) My (c) A (d) Their
5. (a) The (b) My (c) A (d) Some
Answers
1. (a) The
2. (d) Which
3. (c) A
4. (d) Their
5. (a) The
I Fill in the blanks with suitable determiners:
Our greatest asset is 1. ________ own health. A healthy body can earn a lot of money, but a wealthy person cannot. We live in 2. _________ fast-paced world where people have no time for themselves. The majority of 3. ________ lives are spent in pursuit of materialistic wealth in order to outshine others, but they lose their health along 4. ________ way. Wealth is important, but it is not as important as health. Spending 5. ________ lot of money on junk food in five-star hotels or other forms of entertainment, such as watching movies for a day, has no benefits other than self-satisfaction.
1. (a) The (b) My (c) A (d) Our
2. (a) The (b) My (c) A (d) Their
3. (a) The (b) My (c) A (d) Their
4. (a) The (b) My (c) A (d) Their
5. (a) The (b) My (c) A (d) Their
Answers
1. (d) Our
2. (c) A
3. (d) Their
4. (a) The
5. (c) A
J Fill in the blanks with suitable determiners:
In a rapidly changing world, 1. _______ fate of the country can be shaped by 2. _______ ability to harness modern science and technology, which is a path to boosting the country’s development programmes. Rapid technological advances have reduced reliance on natural resources or factors related to them. Man is being performed precisely by machines, with regular improvements in his work as 3. _________ result of rapid technological changes brought about by scientific advancement all over 4. _________ world. We have made the desired scientific and technological progress and have been successful in boosting various important international activities 5. _________ as information and telecommunication, television, meteorological services, medical advancement, industrial development, nuclear research, Space Research Oceanographic Research, and so on.
1. (a) The (b) My (c) A (d) Their
2. (a) Our (b) My (c) A (d) Their
3. (a) The (b) My (c) A (d) Their
4. (a) The (b) My (c) A (d) Their
5. (a) The (b) Such (c) A (d) Their
Answers
1. (a) The
2. (a) Our
3. (c) A
4. (a) The
5. (b) Such
K Fill in the blanks with suitable determiners:
Co-education is an educational system in which boys and girls attend 1._________ same school or college. Co-education was uncommon in ancient times. It is 2. ________ radical concept. Parents supported the case for adequate education for 3. ________ children, regardless of gender. The countrymen realised that in the free world, boys and girls must move together and work hand in hand in all aspects of life. They began sending 4. __________children to co-educational schools. Co-education encourages competition among boys and girls through 5. _________ activities they participate in at school. That is why students at co-educational institutions perform better in all aspects of their lives.
1. (a) The (b) Such (c) A (d) Their
2. (a) The (b) Such (c) A (d) Their
3. (a) The (b) Such (c) All (d) Their
4. (a) The (b) Such (c) A (d) Their
5. (a) The (b) Such (c) A (d) Their
Answers
1. (a) The
2. (c) A
3. (c) All
4. (d) Their
5. (a) The