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  1. LPU MCA Semester 1
  2. PEL546
  3. Unit 4

PEL546 · Unit 4: Determiners

Predeterminers and possessive determiners

12 practice questions · in the ETE syllabus

Practise this topicPractise this topic

Key points

  • Predeterminers (all, both, half, twice, such) come before the or a possessive
  • Possessive determiners come before a noun; possessive pronouns stand alone
  • Its has no apostrophe; it's means it is
  • a friend of mine, not a friend of my

Determiners come before a noun and show which one or how many. Predeterminers come before the main determiner (an article or a possessive): all, both, half, double, twice, such, what. Examples: all the students, both my sisters, half the cake, twice the price, such a long journey. The order is predeterminer, then determiner, then adjective, then noun, so the all students, my both sisters and a such long journey are wrong. After all and both, of is used only before the, my or a pronoun (all of the students, not all of students).

Possessive determiners are my, your, his, her, its, our, their. They come before a noun and cannot be used with the. Possessive pronouns (mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs) stand alone: This pen is mine. After of use the pronoun: a friend of mine. Its (possessive) has no apostrophe, while it's means it is or it has. Whose asks about the owner, and who's means who is.

Exam trap: my cannot stand alone (This is my is wrong), and its' does not exist.

Try two questions

Question 1 · Tier 4, Analyse

Which sentence correctly uses both a predeterminer and a possessive determiner?

  1. Both my sisters live in Pune.
  2. My both sisters live in Pune.
  3. Both the my sisters live in Pune.
  4. Both of sisters my live in Pune.
Show the answer

A. Predeterminer + possessive + noun: both my sisters.

Why not B: Both must come before my.

Why not C: The and my cannot be used together.

Why not D: The possessive determiner comes before the noun.

Question 2 · Tier 3, Apply

Choose the correct word: Rahul and Meera forgot ___ keys at the office.

  1. his
  2. their
  3. her
  4. its
Show the answer

B. Two people need the plural possessive determiner their.

Why not A: his refers to one male person only.

Why not C: her refers to one female person only.

Why not D: its refers to a thing or an animal.