Determiners
Nam Phương
 

 

Definite articles
Danh từ thường được cc chữ the, a hay an đừng trước. Những chữ ny tn l DETERMINERS (từ hạn định). N chỉ cho ta  biết danh từ thuộc loại g. Từ hạn định THE được gọi l DEFINITE ARTICLE  (mạo từ xc định). Ta dng n cho danh từ số t v số nhiều

 

Singular Plural
the taxi the taxis
the paper the papers
the apple the apples

Indefinite articles

Từ hạn định a (hay an, khi danh từ theo sau n bắt đầu bởi một nguyn m) l  INDEFINITE ARTICLE (mạo từ khng xc định). Ta dng a, an  cho danh từ số t.

a taxi 
a paper 
an apple

Mạo từ THE,  A/AN l determiners phổ thng nhất, tuy nhin c nhiều mạo từ khc:

    any taxi 
    that question 
    those apples 
    this paper 
    some apple 
    whatever taxi 
    whichever taxi

C lẽ phương tiện thng dụng nhất để diễn tả số lượng  l dng số. Ta sẽ quan st chữ số dng lm determiner trong phần sau đy:

 

Cardinal numeral adjectives

Chữ số l determiners khi chng xuất hiện trước một danh từ. Trong vị tr ny, cardinal numeral (số nguyn thể hiện số lượng) diễn tả số lượng
 

      one book 
      two books 
      twenty books

       

Ordinal numeral adjectives

Cũng cng ở vị tr đ, ordinal numeral (số thứ tự) diễn tả thứ tự: 
 

      first impressions 
      second chance 
      third prize

 

 

General ordinals

Lớp dưới của ordinal bao gồm những chữ khng trực tiếp lin hệ với số lượng (như FIRST lin hệ với ONE, SECOND lin hệ với TWO, vn vn..). Những chữ ny gọi l GENERAL ORDINALS,  v chng bao gồm LAST, LATTER, NEXT, PREVIOUS v SUBSEQUENT


next week 
last orders 
previous engagement 
subsequent developments

Khi chng khng đứng trước danh từ như chng ta đ thấy, numerals l một lớp dưới của danh từ. Cũng giống như danh từ, n c thể dng determiner
      the two of us 
      the first of many

Thậm ch chng c những determiner đứng trước chng:
 

five twos are ten

Trong v dụ ny, TWOS l DANH TỪ SỐ NHIỀU  v determiner FIVE của n ở trước n

 

Pronouns and Determiners

C sự trng nhau quan trọng giữa DETERMINER CLASS v DETERMINER SUBCLASS của PRONOUN (ại từ, l từ dng thay thế cho danh dừ). Nhiều chữ c thể dng cho cả hai

 

Pronoun Determiner
This is a very boring book This book is very boring
That's an excellent film That film is excellent
  

Như bảng  ny cho ta thấy, determiners thường đứng trước danh từ, nhưng pronouns độc lập hơn. Nhiệm vụ của chng giống như danh từ, v c thể được thay thế bởi danh từ như những cu dưới đy:

 

This is a very boring book ~Ivanhoe is a very boring book
That's an excellent film ~Witness is an excellent film
  

Mặt khc, khi những chữ ny l determiners, chng khng được thay thế bởi danh từ

(những chữ c gắn * l khng đng)

 
 
This book is very boring ~*Ivanhoe book is very boring
That film is excellent ~*Witness film is excellent
  

PERSONAL PRONOUNS (đại danh từ; I, you, he, vn vn)   khng thể l determiners. POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS cũng vậy (mine, yours, his/hers, ours, and theirs). Tuy nhin, những pronouns phải c hnh dng tương đương với determiners

 

Possessive Pronoun Determiner
The white car is mine My car is white
Yours is the blue coat Your coat is blue
The car in the garage is his/hers  His/her car is in the garage
David's house is big, but ours is bigger Our house is bigger than David's
Theirs is the house on the left Their house is on the left
  

Definite articles v indefinite articles khng bao giờ l pronouns. Chng lun lun l determiners.
  

Thứ tự của determiners

 

Determiners được thấy trước nouns, chng chỉ cho biết danh từ l loại g. Ty thuộc vo thứ tự tương đối của chng trước một danh từ, ta phn biệt 3 loại determiners:

 

  Predeterminer Central Determiner Postdeterminer Noun
I met
all my many
friends
  

Một cu như thế ny thường t khi dng bời v hiếm khi cả ba determiners được lắp v trong cng một cu. Thng thường, chỉ mt hay hai vị tr được lắp v.

Predeterminers (pre =  trước) 

Predeterminers định r số lượng cho danh từ theo sau chng v c 3 loại quan trọng:

1. "Multiplying" expressions, including expressions ending in times: (Nhn)
 

      twice my salary 
      double my salary 
      ten times my salary
2. Phn số
 
      half my salary 
      one-third my salary
3. The words all and both: 
 
      all my salary 
      both my salaries

Predeterminers thường khng diễn đạt chung được
 

      *all half my salary

Central Determiners (central = giữa, trung tm)

  

Definite article the v indefinite article a/an  l những central determiners thng dụng nhất
 

all the book 
half a chapter

Như nhiều th dụ trước đy của ta đ cho biết, chữ MY c thể chiếm vị tr central determiner. Possessive (sở hữu từ) pronouns v possessive determiners cũng vậy

all your money 
all his/her money 
all our money 
all their money

Demonstratives (chỉ định từ) cũng vậy , l central determiners.
 

all these problems 
twice that size 
four times this amount

  

Postdeterminers (post = sau)

Cardinal v ordinal numerals chiếm vị tr postdeterminer
      the two children 
      his fourth birthday
General ordinals cũng vậy (tức l ở vị tr cuối)
      my next project 
      our last meeting 
      your previous remark 
      her subsequent letter

Những chữ chỉ số lượng khc cũng l postdeterminers:
 

      my many friends 
      our several achievements 
      the few friends that I have
Khng như predeterminers, postdeterminers c thể dng chung:
      my next two projects 
      several other people


 

       

       

 
Nouns are often preceded by the words the, a, or an. These words are called DETERMINERS. They indicate the kind of reference which the noun has. The determiner the is known as the DEFINITE

 

Singular Plural
the taxi the taxis
the paper the papers
the apple the apples

 

 ARTICLE. It is used before both singular and plural nouns: 
The determiner a (or an, when the following noun begins with a vowel) is the INDEFINITE ARTICLE. It is used when the noun is singular: 

    any taxi 
    that question 
    those apples 
    this paper 
    some apple 
    whatever taxi 
    whichever taxi

Perhaps the most common way to express quantity is to use a numeral. We look at numerals as determiners in the next section

 

 

Numerals and Determiners

Numerals are determiners when they appear before a noun. In this position, cardinal numerals express quantity: 

      one book 
      two books 
      twenty books
In the same position, ordinal numerals express sequence: 

first impressions 
second chance 
third prize

The subclass of ordinals includes a set of words which are not directly related to numbers (as first is related to one, second is related to two, etc). These are called general ordinals, and they include last, latter, next, previous, and subsequent. These words also function as determiners: 

    next week 
    last orders 
    previous engagement 
    subsequent developments

When they do not come before a noun, as we've already seen, numerals are a subclass of nouns. And like nouns, they can take determiners: 

      the two of us 
      the first of many
They can even have numerals as determiners before them: 
      five twos are ten
In this example, twos is a plural noun and it has the determiner five before it

Pronouns and Determiners
There is considerable overlap between the determiner class and the subclass of pronouns. Many words can be both: 
 

 

Pronoun Determiner
This is a very boring book This book is very boring
That's an excellent film That film is excellent
  

As this table shows, determiners always come before a noun, but pronouns are more independent than this. They function in much the same way as nouns, and they can be replaced by nouns in the sentences above:  

This is a very boring book ~Ivanhoe is a very boring book
That's an excellent film ~Witness is an excellent film
  

On the other hand, when these words are determiners, they cannot be replaced by nouns: 

 
This book is very boring ~*Ivanhoe book is very boring
That film is excellent ~*Witness film is excellent
  

The personal pronouns (I, you, he, etc) cannot be determiners. This is also true of the possessive pronouns (mine, yours, his/hers, ours, and theirs). However, these pronouns do have corresponding forms which are determiners:  

Possessive Pronoun Determiner
The white car is mine My car is white
Yours is the blue coat Your coat is blue
The car in the garage is his/hers  His/her car is in the garage
David's house is big, but ours is bigger Our house is bigger than David's
Theirs is the house on the left Their house is on the left
  

The definite and the indefinite articles can never be pronouns. They are always determiners

Definite articles v indefinite articles khng bao giờ l pronouns. Chng lun lun l determiners.
  

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. 

 

Predeterminers (pre =  trước) 

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 

3. The words all and both: 
 

      all my salary 
      both my salaries
 Predeterminers do not normally co-occur: 
      *all half my salary
  

Central Determiners (central = giữa, trung tm)

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
  

Postdeterminers (post = sau)

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