3.3 The Ordering of Determiners
Determiners occur before nouns, and they indicate the kind of reference which the nouns have. Depending on their relative position before a noun, we distinguish three classes of determiners.
|
Predeterminer |
Central Determiner |
Postdeterminer |
Noun |
I met |
all |
my |
many |
friends |
A sentence like this is somewhat unusual, because it is rare for all three determiner slots to be filled in the same sentence. Generally, only one or two slots are filled.
3.4 Predeterminers
Predeterminers specify quantity in the noun which follows them, and they are of three major types:
1. "Multiplying" expressions, including expressions ending in times:
twice my salary
double my salary
ten times my salary
2. Fractions
half my salary
one-third my salary
3. The words all and both:
all my salary
both my salaries
Predeterminers do not normally co-occur:
*all half my salary
3.5 Central Determiners
The definite article the and the indefinite article a/an are the most common central determiners:
all the book
half a chapter
As many of our previous examples show, the word my can also occupy the central determiner slot. This is equally true of the other possessives:
all your money
all his/her money
all our money
all their money
The demonstratives, too, are central determiners:
all these problems
twice that size
four times this amount
3.6 Postdeterminers
Cardinal and ordinal numerals occupy the postdeterminer slot:
the two children
his fourth birthday
This applies also to general ordinals:
my next project
our last meeting
your previous remark
her subsequent letter
Other quantifying expressions are also postdeterminers:
my many friends
our several achievements
the few friends that I have
Unlike predeterminers, postdeterminers can co-occur:
my next two projects
several other people