Commentaries and explanations

Determiners, pre-determiners and pre-modifiers

MEANS OF SENSE CATENATION (THE NOUN PHRASE ENIGMA)

SECTION 2

2.1.1. Determiners and pre-determiners: definitions and specifications.

Determiners form a closed set of words whose function is (1) to determine, (2) classify, or (3) limit a following noun:

e.g. What’s the nature of the problem? (1)

You made a common mistake. People like you are most prone to such errors. (2)

I don’t think I’ve ever heard of the book. What is its title? (3)

Put simply, determiners are “the little words that go with nouns to identify them in some way, to indicate where they are, or how many of them there are, or whether they are being referred to in a specific way or a general one” (H. Ritchie).

According to H. Ritchie, “you may not be familiar with the term but don’t be put off by it“.

Determiners are used all the time. Unfortunately, not always unfailingly correctly.

As we know determiners usually come before a noun or at the beginning of a noun phrase. That is, some of them stand before any pre-modifiers (such as adjectives, participles or nouns – See) in that phrase: the whole subject, a remote possibility, some definite acceptable solution, your own developed skills, these familiar names, what subject(s), which option, whose idea. This type of determiners is sometimes called central determiners. As shown in the given examples, they are articles (a, the), demonstratives (this, these, that, those), possessives (my, your, our etc.), some quantifiers (some, any, no), wh -words (what, which, whose). Central determiners are considered the most important.

There are other determiners, though, that stand before a central determiner. They show quantity, amount, multiplicity or intensity and are sometimes called quantifiers, multipliers and intensifiers accordingly.

Some quantifiers (all, both, half, either) as well as multipliers (once, twice, double) or intensifiers (such, what) come, when present, before central determiners: all your life, all the time, all the way, both hands, both John’s parents, both (the) sides, both research and business, half (of) my time, half (of) my friends (are), half a mile, half an hour, once a week, once every two months, double the number, double the amount, such a day, such nonsense. As this kind of words come before central determinersthey also have one more name - pre-determiners. This name is especially relevant when there are various words before the noun in a noun phrase as in examples (1) – (3):

Do we have to answer all the questions? (1)

If there were any other way of saying it, I’d say, believe me.

None of their humor is wanted. (2)

Can you reproduce any of the examples given? (3)

Study additional examples:

We solve problems all our life.

Certain things happen all the time.

I don’t need so much sugar. Half (of) the amount is enough.

Half (of) my time I am busy talking to people.

Half (of) my friends now live abroad.

BUT: We are to meet in half an hour.

The place is only half a mile away. (measurement and quantity)

In such a situation such behavior is not acceptable.

My colleagues are such nice people.

What a day!

What nice people they are!

double = twice as much, twice as many (as a pre-determiner)

The value of the picture is double what it was.

There are only two computers in the lab now. We need double this number for the project.

But not when double is an adjective: a double meaning, the double trouble.

Many words have a double meaning.

The new entry form is very complicated. It gives you double trouble.

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