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For the function in NP structure, see Determiner (function).

A determiner is a noun modifier that expresses the reference of a noun or noun phrase in the context, including quantity, rather than attributes expressed by adjectives. This word class or part of speech is defined in some languages, such as in English, as it is distinct from adjectives grammatically, though most English dictionaries still identify the determiners as adjectives. Determiners usually include articles, and may include items like demonstratives, possessive determiners, quantifiers, and cardinal numbers, depending on the language.

Determiners form a closed class of words that number (exclusive of cardinal and ordinal numerals) about 50 in English and include^[1]:

• Articles: a, an, the
• Demonstratives: this, that, these, those, which, etc.
• Quantifiers: all, few, many, several, some, every, each, any, no, etc.
• Possessive determiners: my, our, your, his, her, its, their, whose, etc.
• Cardinal Numbers: one, two, fifty, etc.

Some of them can be used in other lexical categories, such as the pronoun that in that is good as opposed to the determiner that in that one.

The words some, one, and no are also used in ways that are demonstrative, not quantitative: "Roger Clemens is some ball player." "A diplomat who says 'no' is no diplomat."

It is debated whether numerals are determiners or not^[2]. For instance, the English numerals for 100 or larger need a determiner, such as "a hundred men."

For a mostly complete list, see Wiktionary.

Traditional English grammar does not include determiners and calls most determiners adjectives. There are, however, a number of key differences between determiners and adjectives.

1. In English, articles, demonstratives, and possessive determiners cannot co-occur in the same phrase, while any number of adjectives are typically allowed.
   1. A big green expensive English book
   2. * The his book
2. Most determiners cannot occur alone in predicative complement position; most adjectives can.
   1. He is happy.
   2. * He is the.
3. Most determiners are not gradable, while adjectives typically are.
   1. happy, happier, happiest
4. Some determiners have corresponding pronouns, while adjectives don't.
   1. Each likes something different.
   2. * Big likes something different.
5. Adjectives are licensed independent of number, while some determiners are licensed only for singular or for plural nouns.
   1. a big person / big people
   2. many people / * many person
6. Adjectives are never obligatory, while determiners often are.

Determiners such as this, all, and some can often occur without a noun. In traditional grammar, these are called pronouns. There are, however, a number of key differences between such determiners and pronouns.

1. Pronouns may occur in tag questions. Determiners can't.
   1. This is delicious, isn't it?
   2. *This is delicious, isn't this?
2. In phrasal verbs, pronouns must appear between the verb and particle. Determiners may occur after the particle.
   1. pick it up
   2. *pick up it
   3. pick this up
   4. pick up this
3. Pronouns all have distinct genitive forms. Determiners don't.
   1. This is mine/yours/theirs.
   2. *This is all's.

In English, and in many other Indo-European languages, determiners are either independent words or clitics that precede the rest of the noun phrase. Not all languages, however, have a lexically distinct class of determiners. Determiner functions are sometimes realized morphologically as affixes on the noun, or by changing the noun's form. For example, Swedish bok ("book"), when definite, becomes boken ("the book"). Definite article suffixes are also found in the other North Germanic languages, in Romanian, and in Bulgarian.

• SIL Glossary of linguistic terms - What is a determiner?