Distributive Determiners are words that give information about the noun in a clause or sentence. They may refer to a group or every individual in the group. Examples/words/list of Distributive Determiners are- each, every, all, both, half, either and neither.
For an instance suppose you have two pens and you are saying to a listener- ‘Both my pens are black in color.’ The listener knows that you are referring to the group as a whole. Now consider the sentence-‘Each pen has a fountain nib’. Here the listener knows that you are referring to the group but giving clarity on the property of individual members in this case ‘pens’. Each of the Distributive Determiner serves different purpose in a clause-
We will further understand the different Distributive Determiners with help of suitable examples-
Use of ‘Each’ and ‘Every’ as Distributive Determiner
‘Each’ is used to refer to every individual in a group while ‘every’ is used to see the group as collection of members. Both ‘each’ and ‘every’ can only be used with countable nouns. Consider the sentences-
‘Each’ when followed by ‘of’ can be used for plural nouns also. For Ex-
‘Every’ on the other hand cannot be used with plural nouns. For Ex-
Use of ‘all’ as Distributive Determiner
‘All’ refers to every member of the group collectively. All may refer to the uncountable nouns or plural countable nouns. For Ex consider the following sentences-
Sometimes while referring to the plural nouns ‘all’ can be followed by ‘the’ or ‘of the’. For Ex-
With plural uncountable nouns-
Use of ‘half’ as a Distributive Determiner
Half determines the group or quantity exactly divided into two equal parts. We will understand the use of ‘half’ with help of certain examples-
For measurements ‘half’ is used prefixed with ‘a’ or ‘an’. For Ex-
Use of ‘both’, ‘either’ and ‘neither’ as Distributive Determiners
‘Both’, ‘either’ and ‘neither’ are used to refer to a pair of person, place or thing. ‘Both’ collectively refers to the whole pair, ‘either’ on the other hand refers to any one member from the pair and neither negates the pair. Go through the following sentences-
All the above sentences are grammatically correct.
Either is used to refer to any one member of the pair and is stresses equivalence on both of the members. For Ex-
‘Neither’ negates the pair and is equivalent to- not the one nor the other.
Either and neither can be used with plural nouns when prefixed with ‘of’-
Fill in the Blanks
Please complete the below sentences by using proper Distributive determiners. Verify your progress with the answers provided in the end.
1) _______ of us was given a grand reception.
2) _______ man is responsible for his own life.
3) Rony drank ______ the milk from the jug.
4) _______ the books were a good read.
5) He spends _______ of his salary on garments.
6) ________ of you will do the job.
7) ________ of the men was suitable for the job.
8) He told ________ men their responsibilities.
9) He gave me ________ of his fruits.
10) I have been waiting _______ day for this moment.
MCQs Exercises on Distributive Determiners with Answers:
1) ________ man wore a suit.
2) ________ child should go to school.
3) _______ guards were caught sleeping.
4) _______ of the parent will go to the school to pick up the child.
5) _______ man was willing to work on Sundays.
6) ________ of them swims well.
7) _______ that glitters is not gold.
8) _______ of the parents was waiting for their kid.
9) ________ of you can be successful provided you work.
10) I will eat _______ the banana or the mango.
True or False Exercises on Distributive Determiners:
1) Each the cats were purring loudly.
2) Both child were playing.
3) Both of them like swimming.
4) I can stay at either houses.
5) Either of you go there.
6) Neither of dogs was barking.
7) Neither of these interests me.
8) All is going to the party.
9) I like all horses.
10) I like all dog.
Answers-
Fill in the blanks- 1)each, 2)every, 3)all, 4)all/both, 5)all/half, 6)both, 7)Either, 8)all, 9)all/half, 10)all
MCQs- 1)b, 2)c, 3)a, 4)b, 5)a, 6)c, 7)b, 8)a, 9)b, 10)c
True or False- 1)false, 2)false, 3)true, 4)false, 5)true, 6)true, 7)true, 8)false, 9)true, 10)false
How you can make True the False ones, here it is described:
1) Each of the cats was purring loudly.
2) Both children were playing.
4) I can stay at either house.
8) All are going to the party.
10) I like all dogs.
Related Topics:
Determiner
Possessive Determiners
Interrogative Determiners
Quantifier Determiners
Article Determiners