Page 31 - Grammar Glow - 8
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Read the sentences given below.
• I bought a table. • She ate an orange.
¾ When speaking about a thing for the first time, we use a or an. Thereafter, we use the, since
we are referring to the thing already spoken of.
Read the sentence given below.
• I met an old man on my way. The old man kindly showed me the way.
Remember
A or an can only be used with countable nouns.
¾ The article the is not used with the names of countries, states, lakes and mountains, except
when the country is a collection of states, such as ‘the United States’ and proper and
uncountable nouns.
Read the sentence given below.
• Rabindranath Tagore composed Jana Gana Mana.
¾ The article the is repeated to indicate that both the nouns refer to two different people or
things.
Read the sentence given below.
• The singer and the composer were performing at the concert.
Demonstratives
The determiners that show which person or thing is being referred to are called the demonstrative
determiners. This, that, these and those are some demonstrative determiners.
This and these (plural) indicate something near. That and those (plural) indicate something far.
Read the sentences given below.
• These chocolates are delicious. • Those children are hungry.
• That idea is crazy. • This film is boring?
Remember
We can use this and that before uncountable nouns as well as countable nouns.
Possessives
The determiners used with countable as well as uncountable nouns followed by a noun are called
the possessive determiners. My, your, our, their, his, her, etc., are some possessive determiners.
Read the sentences given below.
• That is my ball. (Here, my is the determiner followed by the noun ball.)
• These are their cricket bats. (Here, their is the determiner followed by the noun cricket
bats.)
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