Getting Started

It should come as no surprise that one of the areas of grammar you’ll be assessed on in the exam is your grasp of determiners and pronouns, given the importance that these small but significant words play in the English language. Not only are they almost certain to appear in Reading and Use of English Part 2, as well the more challenging Part 4, but they’ll also play a crucial role in all other parts of the exam.

Consider firstly the Speaking and Writing papers, where the number of grammatically correct sentences you’re able to produce will have a direct impact on how the examiners score you. Then there’s the Listening paper, in which being able to notice and recognise certain grammar words under the timed pressure of the test will greatly increase your chances of arriving at the correct answer over an incorrect one.

With all these important factors in mind, the upcoming pages will help you consolidate and expand your understanding of determiners and pronouns as well as help you avoid some of the typical errors that C1 learners remain guilty of. To get us underway, here’s a set of True or False statements on the topic of the natural world with which you’ll need to rely on your existing knowledge of determiners and pronouns to score well!

So now that you’ve seen a wide range of determiners and pronouns being used in various ways, you now have a better idea of the type of language we’ll be covering in the lesson. But before we make a start, we should take a quick look at what determiners and pronouns are and what they do exactly. Click the cards below to find out more.

Determiners are small grammar words used before nouns and tell us more about them.

They are called determiners as they determine things such as which noun, whose noun and how many nouns.

They ...

... are only ever used before nouns:

Would you like some coffee?

Do you have any plans this evening?

All children should learn how to swim

... are sometimes used with other determiners such as few, other and couple of:

I normally mow the lawn every few weeks

Apart from us there were no other people on the train

He visits his mother every couple of weeks

... must never contradict each other:

Can I have another ~~one~~ drink?

Can I have another one ~~drink~~?

- generally follow the same rules as pronouns when using of apart from a few exceptions, such as both, e.g.

I bought both of the jumpers I liked as I couldn't decide between them.

Pronouns are also small grammar words used to replace nouns and noun phrases.

They ...

... are always used on their own when replacing nouns:

I spent all my money on holiday and now I don't have any

The waiter asked if I wanted chicken or fish but I fancied neither

Some of the the dishes we tried were delicious, but others not so much.

... sometimes look like determiners but without the following noun:

This pizza is far too big for me – would you like some?

I've been to most countries in Europe but there are still a few I'd like to visit

It's not just this school that's in financial difficulty. There are many.

... are always used with of before object pronouns:

His plate was piled high with food but he still managed to finish all of it.

None of them thanked me for buying them dinner last night.

- with of before demonstrative pronouns, e.g.

All of those that I spoke to agreed with me regarding the proposed developments.

Here are all the rooms currently on offer. Do any of these interest you?

We’ll be using both these words quite a lot throughout the lesson, so feel free to come back to this page at any point if you need a brief reminder of what they are and how they work.

When you’re ready, click on the next page where we’ll be making a start with each and every.

Protected: C1 Advanced: Reading & Use of English

Getting Started