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Year 6

Determiners: articles, possessive pronouns, quantifiers and demonstratives

I can choose which type of determiner to use in a clause and for what reason.

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New
New
Year 6

Determiners: articles, possessive pronouns, quantifiers and demonstratives

I can choose which type of determiner to use in a clause and for what reason.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Determiners are a word class.
  2. A determiner introduces a noun in a clause or phrase.
  3. Determiners can be articles, possessive pronouns, quantifiers or demonstratives.
  4. Different determiners have different purposes, chosen by the writer for a reason.
  5. A determiner may be followed by an adjective or pair of adjectives then the noun.

Common misconception

Pupils may believe that determiners always come directly in front of a noun.

Adjectives may be placed between the determiner and the noun to provide description.

Keywords

  • Determiner - a word that introduces a noun in a clause or a phrase

  • Article - a type of determiner that shows how specific the noun is that is being introduced

  • Possessive pronoun - a type of determiner that shows that a noun belongs to another noun

  • Quantifier - a type of determiner that indicates the quantity of a noun

  • Demonstrative - a type of determiner that indicates which noun is being referred to

Discuss the different meanings different determiners bring to the noun and encourage children to say their sentences aloud with different options to see what 'sounds right'.
Teacher tip

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What is the word class of the word 'language' in the following sentence? 'He spoke a different language at home.'
verb
adverb
adjective
Correct answer: noun
Q2.
Match the word classes to the examples, using this sentence: 'As the sun slowly set, we gazed at the glorious sky.'
Correct Answer:noun,sky

sky

Correct Answer:adjective,glorious

glorious

Correct Answer:verb,set

set

Correct Answer:adverb,slowly

slowly

Q3.
Select all the nouns.
Correct answer: rhythm
relevant
Correct answer: signature
awkward
Q4.
What are the noun phrases in the following sentence? 'We stepped into the dark cave as heavy rain fell outside.'
we stepped
Correct answer: the dark cave
fell outside
Correct answer: heavy rain
Q5.
Select all the clauses.
under the soft, cosy blanket
Correct answer: we huddled together
Correct answer: when the snow began to fall
in gentle, white flakes
Q6.
Match the sentence types to the examples.
Correct Answer:adverbial complex sentence,Before we had finished, the bell rang.

Before we had finished, the bell rang.

Correct Answer:compound sentence,The bell rang and we went outside.

The bell rang and we went outside.

Correct Answer:relative complex sentence,The bell, which was very loud, rang for the end of lunch.

The bell, which was very loud, rang for the end of lunch.

Correct Answer:non-finite complex sentence,The bell rang, filling the whole hall with its noise.

The bell rang, filling the whole hall with its noise.

Correct Answer:simple sentence,The bell rang loudly and quickly.

The bell rang loudly and quickly.

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which is the correct definition of a determiner?
Correct answer: a word that introduces a noun in a phrase or clause
a word that begins a clause or phrase
a word that comes before the main verb in a phrase or clause
Q2.
Match the types of determiner to the examples.
Correct Answer:article,an

an

Correct Answer:possessive pronoun,your

your

Correct Answer:quantifier,many

many

Correct Answer:demonstrative,these

these

Q3.
Select all the clauses that contain an article.
Correct answer: we ate an apple each
Correct answer: they ran towards the mountains
we saw some seagulls soaring past
my sister dashed towards us
Q4.
Select all the sentences that contain demonstratives.
Correct answer: Put those books in this box.
Put them here.
Correct answer: Give that ball to me.
Give it to me.
Q5.
Which determiners could be used in the gap in the following sentence? '__________ queue is never-ending!'
some
Correct answer: this
Correct answer: the
my
Q6.
Select all the sentences with two determiners.
Correct answer: I put my book in my bag.
She gave her money to me.
Correct answer: We watched some TV and we ate a few sweets.
Correct answer: We watched the movie, but we hated its message.