Specific and General Determiners
Table of Contents
Specific and General Determiners – Exercises
These exercises focus on Specific and General Determiners
Specific Determiners
Specific determiners are used when we talk about a particular person or thing that the speaker and listener know.
Common specific determiners
|
Type |
Examples |
|
definite article |
the |
|
possessives |
my, your, his, her, our, their |
|
demonstratives |
this, that, these, those |
1. The
We use the when both people know the thing.
-
Please close the window.
-
I finished the project we discussed yesterday.
2. Possessives
They show who something belongs to.
-
This is my laptop.
-
Their house is near the park.
3. Demonstratives
They point to something.
-
This book is very interesting.
-
Those mountains are beautiful.
General Determiners
General determiners are used when we talk about things in general, not something specific.
Common general determiners
|
Determiner |
Example |
|
a / an |
a student, an apple |
|
any |
any answer |
|
another |
another chair |
|
other |
other people |
1. A / An
Used when something is not specific.
-
I saw a bird in the garden.
-
She bought an umbrella.
2. Any
Used when we mean no specific one.
-
You can choose any seat.
-
Ask any teacher for help.
3. Another
Means one more.
-
I would like another sandwich.
-
She ordered another drink.
4. Other
Means different or more.
-
We visited other cities during the trip.
-
Some other students joined the club.
Specific vs General
|
Sentence |
Type |
|
I saw a dog outside. |
General |
|
I saw the dog from your photo. |
Specific |
|
She bought a jacket. |
General |
|
She bought that jacket from the store. |
Specific |
Remember:
-
Specific determiners → talk about a known thing.
-
General determiners → talk about things in general.
