Unit 2.2
Some as a Determiner
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Introduction
Determiners are modifiers of nouns. They can provide a wide range of information.
We find the determiner some with both plural and singular nouns.
Form
Determiner words are put before a noun to show what the noun refers to.
Some goes with both singular and plural nouns, and with both countable and uncountable nouns.
When used with uncountable nouns, the sentence is a positive one.
Example
- Some temporary worker is calling for you.
- When Robert saw his expenses he said: “There must have been some mistake”.
- Amanda is in some kind of trouble. That is why she couldn’t fulfill the task.
- Some interns like doing a good job.
- Andy saved some money for this trip.
Use
Some is used as a determiner to refer to indefinite quantities.
We use it:
- when we ask for invitations, offers or requests.
- when the expected answer to a question is positive.
- when we want to mean “not all“.
Some has slightly different meanings depending on what follows after it:
- with singular nouns, it means that something exists but we do not know much about its identity;
- with plural nouns, it means that there are many things but we do not know their exact number.
Summary
Some as a determiner word is used as a modifier to both singular and plural nouns. It refers to indefinite quantities and it is used to ask for invitations, offers or requests, when we expect “yes” as an answer and when we want to mean “not all”.
The determiner some has different meanings when followed by:
- singular nouns: it means that something exists but we don’t know much about its identity;
- plural nouns: it means that there are many things but we don’t know their exact number.
For example:
— “Some temporary worker is calling for you.” = We use some with the singular noun worker beacause we don’t know much about its identity.
— “Some interns like doing a good job.” = We use some with the plural noun interns because we don’t know its exact number.
Let’s revise this content within the {Form} section. Take a look at the {Example} section that shows its use within a context.
Exercises
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