Determiners and Quantifiers

A determiner is the word that opens a noun phrase and tells you which or how many: a pen, the pen, this pen, my pen, every pen, few pens, much ink. Quantifiers are the determiners that answer "how much / how many". Nepali has no articles at all, which is why a, an and the are the marks most often lost in Q7 and in the writing questions. The whole area is a matter of matching the determiner to the kind of noun that follows it, so that is what this unit drills.

23.1 The classes of determiner

Determiners come in a fixed order: pre-determiner + central determiner + post-determiner, as in all the three other candidates. Only one central determiner is allowed, which is why my this book is wrong. Say this book of mine.

23.2 Articles: a, an, the and zero

A or an is decided by sound, not by spelling. Use an before a vowel sound, a before a consonant sound.

The is used when the listener can tell exactly which one is meant:

1. mentioned before — I bought a shawl. The shawl was of pashmina.
2. unique things — the sun, the moon, the earth, the sky
3. superlatives and ordinals — the best answer, the first bench
4. rivers, seas, oceans, ranges, deserts, groups of islands — the Koshi, the Bay of Bengal, the Himalayas, the Terai
5. plural country names and organisations — the Netherlands, the USA, the UN
6. newspapers, holy books, historical periods — the Kathmandu Post, the Gita, the Rana regime
7. musical instruments and inventions — play the madal, the telephone
8. an adjective used as a noun, and a whole community — the poor, the Nepalese
9. with only, same, whole, entire and with a comparative pair — the only son, the sooner the better

Zero article (no article at all):

• plural or uncountable nouns used in general — Books are cheap in Bhotahity. Honesty pays.
• proper names of people, cities, single mountains, lakes, countries, continents — Sita, Birgunj, Everest, Phewa Lake, Nepal, Asia
• languages, school subjects, games, meals, festivals, months, days — He teaches Nepali. They play volleyball. We had lunch. during Tihar
• institutions used for their purpose — go to school, in hospital, go to bed, in prison (but go to the school to meet the principal — the building)
• means of transport after by — by bus, by air, on foot

23.3 Which determiner goes with which noun

This grid is the heart of the unit. A tick means the combination is correct.

Notes on the trickier rows:

• much / many are normal in negatives and questions (Is there much water?). In plain positive statements a lot of sounds better: We have a lot of work rather than much work.
• some / any. Some in positive statements and in offers or requests expecting yes (Would you like some tea?); any in negatives and ordinary questions (I haven't any change. Have you any doubt?). Any in a positive statement means "it does not matter which": Take any seat.
• each / every. Both take a singular noun and a singular verb. Each looks at the members one by one and can be used of two; every looks at the whole group and needs three or more. Each of / every one of is followed by a plural noun: each of the students was present.
• either / neither are used of two: Either road leads to Tansen. Neither answer is correct.
• both / all. Both for two, all for more than two. All (of) the students — of is optional before the, compulsory before a pronoun: all of them.
• fewer / less. Fewer counts (fewer students), less measures (less sugar). Shop signs saying "10 items or less" are wrong.
• none of + plural noun takes a singular or plural verb; in the exam write the singular: None of the boys was selected.

23.4 Countable and uncountable nouns

These nouns are uncountable in English even though their Nepali equivalents can be counted. They take no -s, no a/an, a singular verb, and much / a little / a great deal of rather than many / a few:

information, advice, news, furniture, luggage, baggage, equipment, machinery, stationery, scenery, poetry, music, knowledge, work, homework, research, progress, evidence, traffic, weather, money, bread, rice, sugar, hair, jewellery, crockery, permission, accommodation, damage, fun, behaviour.

To count them, use a measure phrase:

Some nouns are plural only and take a plural verb: scissors, trousers, jeans, spectacles, binoculars, pliers, clothes, goods, premises, surroundings, belongings, earnings, thanks, cattle, police, people. To count them, use a pair of: two pairs of trousers. And note news is singular in spite of its -s: The news is encouraging.

23.5 The articles a Nepali speaker forgets

Nepali marks definiteness with word order and with -euta / -ta, not with a separate word, so articles are simply left out. Check every singular countable noun in your answer: it must have some determiner in front of it.

Practice questions

Fill in the blanks with a suitable determiner or quantifier (1 mark each)

1. She is ____ honest and hard-working officer. [1]
2. ____ Himalayas protect Nepal from the cold winds of the north. [1]
3. How ____ money do you need for the excursion? [1]
4. There were ____ passengers in the bus, so I got a seat easily. [1]
5. ____ of the two roads leads to Gorkha Bazaar. [1]
6. ____ student must bring his or her admit card. [1]
7. We could not buy the tickets because we had ____ time. [1]
8. He speaks ____ English, so he can manage in Delhi. [1]
9. ____ of the students has been informed about the test. [1]
10. There is not ____ water in the tank today. [1]

Correct the errors in the following sentences (1 mark each)

11. The teacher gave us many informations about the scholarship. [1]
12. I have a good news for you. [1]
13. Less people attended the meeting this year. [1]
14. He bought three furnitures for his new flat. [1]
15. Each of the boy was given a certificate. [1]
16. She is best singer in our school. [1]
17. My this bag was bought in Bhairahawa. [1]
18. One of my friend has gone to Japan. [1]
19. He is an European by birth. [1]
20. The most of the villagers depend on farming. [1]

Rewrite as instructed (1 mark each)

21. He has little money, so he cannot buy the book. — Rewrite using enough. [1]
22. All the students were present. — Rewrite beginning None … [1]
23. There is some milk in the jug. — Rewrite in the negative. [1]
24. Both the sisters are studying medicine. — Rewrite using Each … [1]
25. I need a few more minutes. — Rewrite using a little. [1]