'Determiners’ are used before a noun to ‘determine’ the character of the noun ‑ in particular, how ‘definite’ or ‘general’ a noun it is, and whether it is ‘one’ or ‘more than one’. When you use a noun, you have the choice of using it in one of three possible states.

 1. You can use the noun without any determiner at all.

• in the singular, if it is a proper noun         Boston is on the east coast.

• in the singular, if it is an uncountable noun        I can hear music.

• in the plural, if it is a countable noun            Tigers have black stripes.

 When you use a plural countable noun without the article, you are seeing the noun in a general way - ‘tigers in general’.

 2. You can use the noun with either of the ‘articles’, a or the:

• use a with singular, countable nouns           I can see a car.

• use the with singular countable nouns        I can see the car.

• use the with plural countable nouns            I can see the cars.

• use the with uncountable nouns                  I can see the water.

 The articles are the most common determiners in English. Their main job is to say whether the noun is ‘definite’ or ‘indefinite’.

 3. You can use the noun with one of the other determiners. This adds a further meaning to the noun. For example:

 determiner                                adds the meaning of

 my book                                      ‘possession’ also (our, his, her etc)

this book                                    ‘nearness to the speaker’ (also plural these)

that book                                    ‘distance from the speaker’ (also plural those)

some books                               ‘quantity’ (also any)