Grammar: Word classes: Determiners: Making general statements

Leaving out the determiner Back

Making general statements without a determiner: Form and function

We use the term 'determiner' to refer to a particular grammatical category or form. In the context of making general statements, we can also have noun groups without a determiner. General statements without determiner have one main function. We can summarise the relationship between the form and function of such general statements in the following way:  

Form Function

plural or uncountable noun without determiner

 makes generalisations, classifications and definitions, eg Cats are instinctive killers, Pollution is dangerous to your health. This is usually called 'general reference'. 

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