Determiners

Adjectives modify nouns, pronouns, and groups of words functioning as nouns. The adjective answers the questions What kind?, Which ones?, or How many?

Determiners, also known as limiting adjectives, precede descriptive adjectives if there are any and usually modify the same noun. "that blue house ..."

Determiners indicate the a noun is going to follow such as "the cat" "this puppy." Try leaving off the noun from "the cat" and you have "the" [the what?]. Determiners not only indicate that a noun is approaching, but they limit the noun such as -- "This cat is MY cat." There is no doubt which cat is my cat thanks to determiners.

Determiners are further categorized as follows.

possessive: my cat, its paws, his, her, our, your, their book

demonstrative: this shoe, that hat, these people, those pies

interrogative: whose pie? which shoe? what book?

relative: the boy whose pie is gone.

restricters: just, almost, hardly, merely, not

limiters: half, both, all

numerical: one pie, two pies, first book,  second road, several, many [ see degree ]

article: a road, an apple, the car
The definite article is the.
The indefinite articles are a and an.

 

Degree

Degree - The form of an adjective or adverb that indicates relative quantity, quality, or manner. There are three degrees:

  1. positive - shows quantity, quality, or manner of a single element
  2. comparative - shows quantity, quality, or manner between two elements
  3. superlative - shows quantity, quality, or manner among three or more elements

Below are some examples of how words can "change" to show a relative quantity, quality, or manner.

Positive (1) Comparative (2) Superlative (3)
big bigger [note the "er"] biggest [note the "est"]
round more/less round most/least round
famous more/less famous most/least famous
bad/badly worse worst
good/well better best
far farther/further farthest/furthest

Don't use a double degree: A double degree is adding more or most to the already existing degree word.
Wrong- more better - leave off more and only use better
Wrong- most happiest -leave off most and only use happiest

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