Grade 6 Primary English Determinants – Use Of Determiners Notes

What is a determiner?

A determiner is a word that comes before a noun to show which one, how many, or whose it is. Determiners help us know more about the noun: whether it is specific, how much, how many, or who owns it.

Main types of determiners (with simple rules and Kenyan examples)

1. Articles: a / an / the

• a before words that begin with a consonant sound: a school, a mango.
• an before words that begin with a vowel sound: an orange, an hour.
• the for something specific or already known: the teacher, the Rift Valley.

2. Demonstratives: this / that / these / those

Use this / these for things near you and that / those for things far from you.

3. Possessive determiners: my / your / his / her / its / our / their

They show who owns something: my bag, her pen, our school. (Note: "its" is for things/animals, not "it's".)

4. Quantifiers: some / any / many / much / few / little / several / all

These tell us about the amount or number.

5. Numbers as determiners

one, two, three ... — show exact number: two books, five pupils.

6. Distributives: each / every / either / neither

each/every = each member of a group (Each child got a pen. / Every classroom has a blackboard.)
either = one or the other (Either route is fine). neither = not one nor the other.

7. Interrogative determiners: which / what / whose

Used in questions: Which book is yours? Whose hat is this?

Countable vs Uncountable (helpful for choosing determiners)

Countable nouns can be counted (one mango, two mangoes). Uncountable nouns cannot be counted using numbers (water, rice, sugar).

Rules & common mistakes (quick tips)

• Use "an" before vowel sounds: an umbrella, an apple, an hour (silent h).
• Use "a" before consonant sounds: a university (starts with 'y' sound).
• Use "the" for things that are unique or already known: the sun, the Prime Minister, the road to school.
• Use "some" in positive sentences and offers: Would you like some tea? Use "any" in questions or negatives: Do you have any sugar? I don’t have any money.
• Remember: possessive determiners (my, your, his...) must come before a noun: my book (not "mine book").

Practice — Fill in the blanks

1. _____ mango on the table is ripe. (a / an / the)
2. She has _____ apples in her bag. (a / some / many)
3. I saw _____ elephant at the park. (a / an / the)
4. Look! _____ children are playing over there. (this / those / the)
5. Do you have _____ pens? (some / any / much)
6. _____ pupil reads every day. (Each / Every)
7. _____ car is yours? (Which / Whose / What)

Short summary — Remember

• Determiners always come before a noun.
• Choose determiners based on whether the noun is specific, how many, or who owns it.
• Know whether the noun is countable or uncountable — this helps pick words like many/much, some/any.