Function words like determiners and pronouns often overlap, which means the same forms are used as both determiner and pronoun. Some of these words also overlap with adverbs or correlative coordinators. Sometimes the form of a determiner is slightly different than that of the corresponding pronoun.
Here’s the video version of the article:
Let’s have a look at some examples of overlapping words:
Table of Contents
this / that
used as a determiner: I like that painting.
used as a pronoun: Who told you this?
used as an adverb: It’s not that much!
all
used as a determiner: I was here all the time.
used as a pronoun: It’s all I have.
used as an adverb: She got all wet.
each
used as a determiner: Each student will be assigned a task.
used as a pronoun: There’s enough food for each.
used as an adverb: Tom and Jane ate two apples each.
a little
used as a determiner: The cat got a little milk.
used as a pronoun: Can you give me some bread? Just a little.
used as an adverb: This math problem was a little difficult.
much
used as a determiner: This would take too much time.
used as a pronoun: I ate some soup, but I didn’t eat much.
used as an adverb: He looks much older than he is.
some
used as a determiner: Some people only believe what they see.
used as a pronoun: Some of them refused to do it.
used as an adverb: There were some twenty students.
either
used as a determiner: Either option will be fine.
used as a pronoun: He said either would do.
used as a correlative coordinator: It was either Jake or his brother who told you that, right?
neither
used as a determiner: Neither student passed the exam, they both failed.
used as a pronoun: Only two candidates applied for the job but neither got it.
used as an correlative coordinator: I was kind of neither hot nor warm.
no (the form of the pronoun is none)
used as a determiner: He said he had no friends in that city.
used as a pronoun: None of them was acceptable.
used as an adverb: The movie was no better than I expected it to be.
both
used as a determiner: Both trains arrived in Chicago at the same time.
used as a pronoun: You can take both.
used as an correlative coordinator: I know both him and his girlfriend.