DETERMINERS I

1. MEANING

Determiner
definite / the, this/these, that/those, all, both, relative which(ever), what(ever)
indefinite / a, each, every, some, any, either, neither, no, another, a few, a little, several, many, much, more, most, few, fewer, little, less, enough, sufficient, one, two, three etc., interrogative which, whichever, what, whatever

GRAMMATICAL STRUCTURE

2.

Determiner / Premodifier / Head
determinative / the / city
determinative / some / rotten / eggs
DP / very few / new / books
DP / hardly any / milk
Genitive NP / her / income
Genitive NP / the senator’s / young / son

3. DP vs external modifier of NP

3.1 Not many people turned up. /

[[not many] people]


[all [the children]] / NP

DP

Adv D N
[[not many] people]
NP
NP
D D N
[all [the children]]
There were at most fifty applications.
Almost every copy was torn.
We have hardly any milk left.
Some thirty paintings were stolen.
I haven’t very much money on me.
3.2 all the children, both her sons, half a day, twice the amount
such a disaster
even the children, only a politician

4. Determiner without the head

4.1 Kim has lots of friends, but Pat doesn’t have [any].

4.2 [Some of his remarks] were quite flattering.

I have two photos of her, but [both] are out of focus.

4.3 [Many] would disagree with you on that point. I'll just nip round to [Winnie's]. [My butcher's] stays open late on Fridays.

Determiner / Premodifier / Head
Det + omitted Head / any / Æ
fused-head construction / any

Note: somebody, everyone, anything, nothing, etc.

no famous person vs *no famous one/body

5.

5.1 the, a, every

*The impact of the war is more serious than the of drought.

The impact of the war is more serious than that of drought.

*I need a pen, but I haven’t got a.

I need a pen, but I haven’t got one.

5.2 what

What books did he give Kim, and what did he give Paul? (what ≠ what books)

5.3 no

He had no money, and she also had none.

6. More than one determinative

Predeterminer / Central determiner / Postdeterminer / Premodifier / Head
all, both, half
fractions
multipliers
such, what / articles
demonstrative
possessive
each, every, some, any, either, neither, no, / ordinal numerals
same, other, next / cardinal numerals
many, much, few, little

7. Determinatives restricted to noun types

a/an, another, each, every, either, neither, one / singular count N
both, many, (a) few, two/three etc., several / plural count N
much, (a) little, less, least / singular noncount N
this, that / singular count or noncount N
these, those / plural count or plural noncount N
all, some (weak form), any (weak form), what (exclamative), such, enough, zero determiner / noncount or plural count N