Adjectives and Pronouns: A Comprehensive Analysis
Determiners: Identifying Nouns
Determiners accompany nouns and identify specific entities or concepts. Pronouns are words that function equivalently to nouns, replacing them in sentences. They perform similar functions within a sentence.
Types of Determiners and Pronouns
a) Personal Pronouns: These always function as pronouns.
b) Possessive, Demonstrative, Quantifier, Relative, and Exclamatory: These can function as both determiners and pronouns.
Personal Pronouns: A Detailed Look
Personal pronouns are a diverse class with varying forms based on person, number, gender, function, reflexivity, stress, and the presence or absence of a preposition. They are indexicals, referring to the speaker (I), the person being spoken to (you), and those not involved in the communication (he, she, it, they). They are designed to perform the specific function of any noun.
Possessive Pronouns and Determiners
Possessives are divided into two systems:
- Preposed: Shorter forms (e.g., “my dog”).
- Non-preposed: Full forms, either postponed (e.g., “a friend of ours”) or autonomous (e.g., “the napkin is mine”).
Possessives are indexicals associated with the possessor. Preposed possessives function as determiners. Those attached to an article and placed before the noun function as pronouns.
Demonstrative Pronouns and Determiners
Demonstratives indicate the position of an object relative to the speaker. They are deictic, pointing out the distance of the designated thing from the speaker. They function as determiners. Neutral forms function only as pronouns.
Quantifiers: Specifying Quantity
Indefinite Quantifiers: These words add an imprecise quantity to the noun they accompany or replace. They report on the extent of an amount, presupposing or denying the existence of a reality. Some are invariant to gender and number, while others vary. They can function as determiners or pronouns.
Numeral Quantifiers: These quantify by specifying quantity (cardinal), order (ordinal), part (partitive), or multiple (multiplicative) of the reality named. They provide precise quantification.
Types of Numeral Quantifiers
Cardinal: Refer to natural numbers. When functioning as determiners, they precede the noun. If the noun is preceded by an article, demonstrative, or possessive, they are postponed. They can function as pronouns when they do not accompany a noun or determiner. Words like million, trillion, ten, dozen, and hundred are nouns.
Ordinal: Indicate order or classification. They vary in gender and number and are abbreviated before the noun. They function as noun complements, never as determiners. With an article, they become nouns.
Partitive: Indicate the division of a whole into parts. They are formed:
- Up to number 10 with ordinals.
- From number 11, with the suffix -th or -ava.
The partitive of 2 is medium. Words like third and half are nouns.
Multiplicative: Specify a multiple number. They function as noun complements. They become nouns with an article and often carry the nouns they refer to as their complement. The word multiple has the meaning of a numeral but is indefinite.