Determiner

A determiner of reference points to the noun: a / an / the, my / our / your / his / her / its / their, this / that / these / those. Four mistakes are made with them again and again.

1. A determiner is used for a noun, not for a pronoun. A pronoun already stands in place of a noun, so there is nothing left for a determiner to point to.

✘ She gave the me a gift. (drop the)
✔ She gave me a gift.

> All, both and each are the three determiners that can be used right after a plural pronoun.

✔ We all are ready.
✔ They both are doctors.
✔ They each have their own bags.

2. A determiner cannot be used without a noun. My, our, your, his, her, its, their are possessive determiners. If the sentence does not give a noun after them, we use the possessive pronoun in their place.

✘ This basket is her. (hers = her basket)
✔ This basket is hers.
✘ This shirt is their. (theirs = their shirt)
✔ This shirt is theirs.
✘ The car in the parking slot is your. (use yours)
✘ His eyes met her. (use hers)
✘ I wrote mine name. (use my, because a noun follows)
✘ She is an old friend of my. (use mine, because no noun follows)

3. Two determiners of reference cannot be used together before one noun.

✔ A friend. ✔ My friend. ✔ This book. ✔ My book.
✘ My a friend. ✘ A my friend. ✘ My this book. ✘ This my book.

Then how do we say "a friend of mine"? We take the help of the possessive pronoun.

✘ A my friend.
✔ A friend of mine. (मेरा एक दोस्त)
✘ My this book.
✔ This book of mine. (मेरी यह किताब)

4. Look-alike words. Some determiners sound like other words, and the exam uses this.

✔ A computer cannot work without its motherboard.
✔ There will be twenty tableaux in the parade.
✔ They are selling their old car.

Some and any both mean an unspecified amount or number, so students mix them up. Keep one picture in mind: some = positive, any = non-positive.

1. The basic concept. Some is used in positive (affirmative) sentences. Any is used in negative and interrogative sentences.

✔ I have some mangoes.
✘ I don't have some mangoes. (use any)
✔ I don't have any mangoes.
✔ Do you have any mangoes?
✔ After the successful merger, the new management team made some significant changes.

2. Negative words also take any. Hardly, scarcely, barely and without are negative in meaning, so any is used with them, not some.

✘ He was hungry but he ate hardly some apples. (use any)
✘ He left his home early, so he had barely some money. (use any)
✔ You must start your work without any further delay.

> Check which part of the sentence the negative word controls. In The woodcutter felled some trees with hardly any effort at all, the first part is positive, so some trees is right. Hardly works only on effort, so that noun takes any.

3. Not + some and not + any are different.

✔ I cannot solve some questions. (some I can solve, some I cannot)
✔ I cannot solve any question. (not even one)
✔ She did not invite some friends. (she invited a few of them)
✔ She did not invite any friend. (not one friend was invited)

So not + some leaves a "some" still possible. Not + any means zero. That is why I don't have some money sounds wrong when there is no special context, and I don't have any money is the natural sentence.

4. Questions that expect "yes" take some. Usually a question takes any. But when the question is a formality, permission, offer, suggestion or request, or when we expect the answer yes, we use some.

✔ Would you like to have some sweets? (offer)
✔ Can you bring me some tea? (request)
✔ Why don't you give her some advice? (suggestion)
✔ Could you please give me some advice on how to prepare for the exam? (request)
✔ Did she hurt anyone? (a neutral question, so any)

[[say:radhika| Do you have some money? is also a question. Why is some right there?]]

[[say:sir| Because the question is not asked blindly. Money is being asked for, and the answer yes is expected. Offer, request, expectation of yes: in all of them we use some.]]

5. Some with a singular noun. Generally some goes with a plural or an uncountable noun. But when we talk about someone or something unknown, some can also be used with a singular countable noun.

✔ Some boys are teasing him. (कुछ लड़के उसे तंग कर रहे हैं)
✔ Some boy is teasing him. (कोई लड़का उसे तंग कर रहा है)

6. Any goes with all three kinds of nouns. The verb follows the noun.

✔ I haven't got any money.
✔ Is there any book for me to read?
✔ Are there any books?

7. Conditional and comparison sentences take any. Here any usually goes with a singular noun.

✔ If you have any doubt, please ask. (condition)
✔ He is better than anyone in the town. (comparison)

8. Any in a positive sentence. When any means "it does not matter which one" (no limitation), it can be used in an affirmative sentence too. This is called the idea of free choice.

✔ Anyone who works here can help you.
✔ I can do anything for you.
✔ Any doctor can treat it.

These two phrases look almost the same, and questions are often framed on this. The difference is only one small word, a or the, but it changes the subject of the sentence.

1. A number of = many. It is used in the sense of many, with a plural noun and a plural verb.

✘ A number of measures was taken to alleviate the problem. (use were)
✘ A number of monuments is of considerable antiquity. (use are)
✔ A number of ambitious projects proposed by the new government have been facing criticism.

> A number of boys = many boys
> A good number of boys = a good many boys
> A great number of boys = a great many boys

2. The number of = the figure. It is used in the sense of a definite number. The noun after of is plural, but the verb is singular, because the subject of the sentence is the number, not the people.

[[parse: S=The number of people with diabetes | V=is growing]]

✘ The number of people with diabetes are growing. (use is)
✘ The number of car accident deaths are decreasing. (use is)
✔ The number of participants has increased this year.
✔ The number of matches scheduled for the World Cup has been decreased.

How to decide. Ask yourself one question: am I saying that many people or things are like this (a number of), or am I talking about the figure itself that is rising or falling (the number of)?

✘ A number of deaths due to car accidents is increasing every year.
✔ The number of deaths due to car accidents is increasing every year. (the figure is increasing, not the deaths)
✔ A great number of boys are invited to the convocation ceremony. (many boys are invited)

3. Number for countable, amount for uncountable. Number goes with countable nouns, and amount goes with uncountable nouns. The same idea works in a great deal of and a good deal of, which are for uncountable nouns only.

✘ A large amount of boys came to the ground. (use a large number of)
✔ A large amount of money was spent.
✔ A great deal of money is needed.
✘ A great deal of dresses were sold. (dresses are countable)
✘ Pride brings a great dealing of vanity. (the phrase is a great deal of)

4. The same idea in "as … as". As many as goes with countable plural nouns, and as much as goes with uncountable nouns or amounts.

✘ As much as a hundred children gathered to celebrate Independence Day. (use as many as)
✔ The company has appointed twice as many women as men.

Either and neither are used for two persons or things only. Either means "one of the two, it does not matter which". Neither means ‘not one of the two’, so it already has a "not" inside it.

1. Either / Neither as determiners. When they come directly before a noun, a singular noun follows, and the verb and pronoun are singular.

✔ Either player can win the match. (दोनों में से कोई भी)
✔ You may choose either book. (दो में से एक)
✔ Neither candidate has won.

2. Either of / Neither of. When they come before of, they work as pronouns. A plural noun or pronoun follows of, and the verb is still singular.

✔ I don't want either of my parents to know that I have lost my job.
✘ Neither of us live here. (use lives)
✘ Either of these two roads lead to the post office. (use leads)
✘ Neither of the two companies are winning in the price war. (use is)
✘ Neither of the biscuits you gave me contain chocolate chips. (use contains)
✘ Have either of you been to the planetarium before? (use Has)

3. Either of means "one or the other". Both as a subject (Either of these roads leads…) and as an object (You may install either of them) it means one of the two. Only in a fixed expression such as either side does either mean "each of the two": There are trees on either side of the road.

4. Only for two. For more than two, any replaces either, and none (or no) replaces neither. None is a pronoun.

✘ None of his hands got injured. (hands are two: use neither)
✔ None of his fingers got injured. (fingers are more than two)
✘ Any of the two brothers can call me. (use either)
✘ Either of the three days is celebrated. (use any)

[[say:radhika| How do I decide between none and neither in the exam?]]

[[say:sir| Count first. Two things, whether hands, eyes or brothers: neither. Three or more: none. Do the counting before reading the options.]]

5. No "not" after neither. Neither and none already contain the negative, so no second negative (not, n't) is used in the same clause.

✘ Neither of them hasn't done the work yet.
✔ Neither of them has done the work yet.
✘ I asked two pedestrians the way, but neither of them couldn't help me.
✔ I asked two pedestrians the way, but neither of them could help me.
✔ I do not like tea and coffee. I will have neither. (not even one of them)

Each and every both mean "one by one", and both take a singular countable noun and a singular verb. The difference lies in what the speaker knows about the number.

1. Each looks at the members one by one; every looks at the whole group. Each shows individuality: we look at the members one at a time. Every shows the whole group together. With a small, fixed number each is the natural choice; every one of the six sides is also correct.

✔ Each side of this cube is red. (we know a cube has six sides, so the number is definite)
✔ I was out for 10 days and it rained each day.
✔ I was out for many days and it rained every day.
✔ We go to the market every Sunday.
✔ I can write with each hand. (two hands, a fixed number)

[[say:radhika| Why do we not say I can write with every hand?]]

[[say:sir| How many hands does a person have? Two, and that number is small and fixed, so each is the natural word. Every looks at the whole group and suits a larger or open number.]]

2. Almost, nearly, practically… take every. If the sentence has almost, nearly, approximately, roughly or practically, we use every, not each.

✘ Practically each part of a banana tree is used by humans. (use every)
✘ Almost each person received the sweets. (use every)
✔ Nearly every government has accepted the rule.

3. Each can be a pronoun, every cannot. Each, each one and every one can stand without a noun. Every is only a determiner, so it cannot be used without a noun.

✔ Each student of my class is very intelligent.
✔ Each of the students of my class is very intelligent.
✘ Every of them knows me. (use each)
✔ Every one of them knows me.
✘ Every of the two girls will get the reward. (use each of)
✔ Each of the two girls will get the reward.

4. Singular noun, singular verb, singular pronoun. When each / every are determiners, the noun, the verb and the pronoun in that clause are all singular.

✘ Each members of the team receive a memento. (use member … receives)
✘ Each of the participants were given a certificate. (use was)
✘ Every curious child want to rip open a toy. (use wants)
✘ Each of these players have been warned. (use has)
✔ Every child wants to rip open a toy.

5. When the clause changes. The singular concept is for the clause in which each / every stand. If a new clause begins, a plural pronoun and a plural verb can come.

✔ Every student did his homework. (same clause: singular)
✔ Every student came on time, and the teacher thanked them. (the teacher part is a separate clause)

6. More than one noun. Even when each / every is written before two nouns, the verb and the pronoun stay singular.

✔ Every officer and every soldier was in his place.
✘ Every soldier and every officer was in their place. (the exam key uses his; their is accepted in modern English)
✔ Each book and each pen was distributed among students.

7. Each in the middle of a sentence. When each sits after the subject, it follows the subject: a plural subject takes a plural verb.

✔ They each have their own bags.
✔ The students have each completed their homework.
✔ We each helped Radhika.
✔ Each of them has his own bag. (here each of them is the subject, so the verb is singular)

8. Every with a number. Every + number + plural noun is correct, and every few takes a plural noun.

✔ I call her every two days.
✔ I call her every seven days.
✔ There is a break every few questions.

Many, much, most and a lot of all talk about a large quantity, but each one chooses its own kind of noun.

1. Many for countable, much for uncountable. Many is used with plural nouns and much with uncountable nouns. Both show a large quantity of the noun.

✔ He has many books.
✔ He has much knowledge.
✘ We can see much changes in Government schools these days. (use many)
✘ He was not able to give many time to his research. (use much)
✘ There isn't many rice left in the house. (use much)
✘ How many is the fine for returning the books late? (use much; the fine is an amount of money)
✔ How much is the entrance fee?

> Much always comes with an uncountable noun and a singular verb. In ordinary positive sentences we prefer a lot of to much; much is natural in questions and negative sentences.

2. Structures with many.

✔ Many boys are playing.
✔ Many a boy is playing. (same meaning, but the noun and the verb are singular)
✔ Many an old story was retold.
✔ There are a great many books.
✘ Many a students were not shortlisted. (use Many of the students, or Many a student was)

Many of needs a plural noun with a determiner, and the verb is plural: Many of China's exports have been redirected. But in Many a … the noun is singular, so the verb is singular. Great many alone is wrong; it is a great many.

3. Most = the greater part. Most means ‘the majority’ and goes with both plural nouns and uncountable nouns. Do not put the straight after it.

✔ Most books that I have written are bilingual.
✔ He wastes most food that he takes.
✔ Most of the freshwater lakes in India are in the Himalayan region.
✔ Most of us hesitate to accept our mistakes.
✘ Make a list of most the things you would like to do. (use all the things)
✘ Most than half of the children … (use More than; than goes with the comparative more)
✘ Much of us lack the virtue of patience. (us means people, who can be counted: Many of us)

4. A lot of / Lots of. Both go with plural or uncountable nouns, and the verb follows the noun. A lot of is the more neutral form and lots of is more informal. The phrase must be complete: a lot of. Not lot of, not a lots of, not a lot before a noun.

✔ There is a lot of confusion among students.
✔ I've got a lot of homework this weekend. (homework is uncountable, so no homeworks)
✘ This mango tree yields lot of mangoes every year. (use a lot of)
✘ Can we make sure we have a lots of fun on the trip? (use a lot of or lots of)
✘ Whenever we go out we spend a lot money on food. (use a lot of)
✔ A lot of books and notes placed in order look fascinating.

Few and little are used in the sense of hardly any (almost none). Two questions decide the whole topic: which noun? and which feeling?

1. Which noun? Few goes with plural countable nouns. Little goes with uncountable nouns.

✔ Few friends, few books, few students.
✔ Little money, little water, little knowledge.
✘ You must make a choice immediately because there is few time left. (time is uncountable: use little)
✘ There is few to be said on both sides. (what is said is uncountable here: use little)
✘ My brother brought a few rice from the market. (use a little)

2. Which feeling? Few and little give a negative sense: almost none, not enough. A few and a little give a positive sense: some, at least something. One word to remember for the negative pair is almost none.

✔ I earn little money. (almost none)
✔ I earn a little money. (some)
✔ I have few friends. (almost no friends)
✔ I have a few friends. (some friends)

3. Let the situation decide. Think of the mood of the sentence before choosing.

• After a curfew we expect people to be absent. ✔ Due to the curfew there are few people on the street.
• Despite shows a contrast, so a positive word is needed. ✔ Despite the curfew, there are a few people on the street.
• Immediately says there is no time left. ✔ You must make a choice immediately because there is little time left.
• A polite request wants a positive word. ✔ Will you please walk a little faster?
• Except for a few days means “there are some days in the year”. ✔ Except for a few days in a year, the river cannot flow on its own.

[[say:radhika| In both sentences there are people on the street. Where is the difference?]]

[[say:sir| In the feeling. With a curfew we expected nobody, so even the few who came are hardly any: few. With despite we say “even then, some people came”: a few. Read the mood before choosing.]]

4. Only a few, not only few. Only is followed by a few / a little, and the article a must be there.

✔ There are only a few people.
✘ There are only few people.
✔ Only a few girls were present in the class today.

5. Few / little do not sit with not. Because few and little are already negative, not cannot come in the same clause. In another clause, not is possible.

✘ They don't have little hesitation.
✔ They have little hesitation.
✔ They have little time, so they will not come to the party.

6. Little can also mean small. Little does not always show quantity. It can show size and mean “small”.

✔ She has a little bag.
✔ They live in a little village.

Now we go one step deeper. Few and little are determiners, but they also have the qualities of an adjective. That is why they take very, and why they have a comparative and a superlative degree.

1. The few / the little = all that there is. When a relative clause (or a participle) after the noun makes it definite, we use the few / the little. The sense is “not many (much), but all the available”.

✔ They gave us the few books that they had. (all the books they had)
✔ They gave us a few of the books that they had. (some of them)
✔ I spent the little money that I had. (all of it)
✔ I will give you a little of the money that I have. (a part of it)
✔ The few clothes that I made for the wedding have gone out of style.

[[say:radhika| The few books and a few books, both mean “some books”, no?]]

[[say:sir| No. A few books is a small number, no more. The few books that they had is the whole stock: they had very few, and they gave all. If the noun is made definite by a clause, think of the few as “all”.]]

2. A few of / a little of. To speak of a part of a noun we use of. Here a few / a little work as pronouns, and a determiner must stand before the noun.

✔ I have lost a little of the money that I had.
✔ They gave me a few of the books that they had.
✔ He is one of the few managers who constantly lead by example. (managers is plural, so the verb lead is plural)

3. Very and only. Very goes before few / little without an article. Only is followed by a few / a little.

✔ There are few people.
✔ There are very few people.
✘ There are only few people.
✔ There are only a few people.
✔ Very few metals are as precious as gold.
✘ There is a very little time for them to prepare. (use very little time)

4. Possessives with few / little. A possessive determiner can be used with few / little, but not with a few / a little.

✔ His few friends
✘ His a few friends
✔ Someone stole my few pens.

5. Fewer and less. Few → fewer → fewest is for countable nouns. Little → less → least is for uncountable nouns. With than the comparative is used.

✘ They have less books than I have. (use fewer)
✔ He made fewer mistakes than you did.
✘ No less than eight pedestrians were killed. (pedestrians are countable: No fewer than)
✔ He does not have the least idea of it. (the is followed by the superlative least)

6. Little bit and too little. Little bit is not used with a countable plural noun, and with an uncountable noun we say too little, not too less.

✘ Little bit people have heard of him. (use Few people)
✘ There are too less space for Naveen to park his car. (use too little space, and the verb is / was is singular)

All, both and half are called pre-determiners: they stand before the other determiner (article, possessive, demonstrative). Whole works with them in a similar way. The whole topic has one key concept: all / both / half come first.

1. All is for more than two, both is for exactly two.

✔ We all are ready. (we means more than two people)
✔ We both are ready. (we means two people)
✘ He lost all his parents in the accident. (parents are two: use both)
✘ He had to have all legs amputated. (legs are two: use both)
✘ He broke both ties with his family. (more than two ties: use all)
✘ You can't believe both the news that you get on WhatsApp. (use all)
✔ Why did the teacher ask all four of you to stay back in class?

2. Structures. After all / both / half we can use of, then a determiner of reference and a noun, or an object pronoun.

✔ All of the money was wasted on clothes.
✘ The investigation revealed that both of they had given false information. (after of the object form is used: both of them)

3. Article, possessive and demonstrative come after all / both / half, not before. The order is: all / both / half → article / possessive / demonstrative → adjective → noun.

✘ I invited my all friends to the party. (use all my friends or all of my friends)
✘ We respect those all people who work hard. (use all those or all of those)
✘ My both parents work in this organisation. (use both my or both of my)
✘ I have donated my half assets. (use half my or half of my)
✘ Their all belongings were lost in the fire. (use All their belongings)
✘ The both children go to the same school. (use Both the children)
✘ Can all us sleep in the same room, Mother? (use Can we all or Can all of us)
✔ She wanted to bake a cake for both her brothers.

4. Half. When half stands for a quantity, it comes before the article.

[[say:radhika| Why do we write half an hour and not a half hour?]]

[[say:sir| Because half is a pre-determiner and normally stands first. First say how much (half), then of what (an hour). Same logic as all my friends. A half hour is also found, but half an hour is the usual form.]]

✔ Half an hour. (= Half of an hour.)
✔ A half-hour walk. (a half hour is also used; half an hour is the usual form)
✘ Half a hour. (hour starts with a vowel sound: half an hour)
✔ One and a half hours. (1½ hours)
✘ He waited for a half an hour. (drop the first a: half is a determiner here, not a noun)

> A half before a noun shows the size, not the quantity. Half a bottle is half of the water in a bottle. A half bottle is a bottle of half the size. For time, the usual form is half an hour.

Half, whole and quarter can also be nouns: half = a half part, quarter = a one-fourth part, whole = one whole part.

✔ He cut the apple into quarters.
✔ Two halves make a whole.
✔ Four quarters make a whole.

After one and a half and one and a quarter the noun is always plural, because the amount is more than one.

✘ I walked for one and a half mile. (use miles)
✘ One and a quarter hour is left for the flight. (use hours are left)

5. Whole. Whole means “the complete one”, and it goes with a singular unit. It has two structures that mean the same.

If a pronoun (usually it) or a proper noun of a place (India, France, Paris) follows, only the whole of is used.

✘ I bought a cake and I ate the whole it. (use the whole of it)
✘ The whole India celebrated the festival. (use the whole of India, because India does not take the)
✔ The whole UK was surprised to see the result. (the UK takes the, so the whole UK is correct)
✔ She spent the whole of her savings on the trip.

Other, another, the other and others are four forms of one idea: “something different or remaining”. The test is simple. If a noun stands after the word, treat it as an adjective. If no noun stands after it, the whole expression works as a noun.

1. The three forms with a noun.

✔ another book, another boy, another coin
✔ other books, other boys, other coins
✔ the other book / books, the other boy / boys

✔ Please give me another book. (= one more book)
✔ Where is the other shoe? (= the other shoe of the two)
✔ He refused to admit other charges. (= any other charges)
✔ Can I have another seat for rough work?
✘ My another book is on the table. (use my other book; two determiners cannot sit together)

2. Another or the other? When there is more than one choice left, we use another. When only one is left, we use the other.

> Trick: where we do not use an article (plural), use other. Where we can use a / an, use another. Where we can use the, use the other.

The example of four boys shows the sequence:

✔ One boy is a student.
✔ Another boy is a teacher. (three are left, so we choose indefinitely)
✔ Another boy is a doctor. (two are left, still a choice)
✔ The other boy is unemployed. (only one is left: definite)
✔ Or, from the start: One boy is a student. The other boys are employed. (the whole remaining group)

3. Other with other determiners. Some, any, all, no and similar determiners can sit before other.

✔ There was no other vehicle involved in the crash.
✔ I have some other questions about her death.
✔ The manager asked if any other employee was willing to take the responsibility.

4. Others is a pronoun. Others has no noun after it. If a noun follows, the word is other.

✘ She spent her entire life caring for other. (use others)
✘ Some designs are better than other. (use others)
✔ My mother spent her whole life taking care of others.
✔ My mother spent her whole life taking care of other people.
✔ I have only one earring. The other one is missing.

5. Any other in a comparison. When a thing is compared with the rest of its own kind, the thing itself must be taken out with other. A singular noun follows.

✘ Platinum is costlier than any other metals found on earth. (use any other metal)
✘ Shakespeare is greater than any poet. (Shakespeare is also a poet: use any other poet)
✘ India is larger than any democracies in the world. (use any other democracy)

6. Each other and one another. These are the fixed phrases for two or more people acting on one another. Each another does not exist. One other is valid in another sense (one other reason) but does not mean “mutually”. Each other is never a subject. When each has already been used in the sentence, the second person is the other.

✘ The three of them shouted out to each another. (use one another)
✘ We must take care of one other in times of crisis. (use one another)
✘ They each listened carefully to what each other said. (use the other)
✔ Each listens carefully to what the other said.

Two small words, no and none, and one troublemaker, not. This unit shows which words can sit together.

1. No is a determiner, none is a pronoun. Both can be used for any kind of noun: singular, plural or uncountable. No stands directly before a noun. None stands alone or with of.

✔ No attempt was made to rescue them.
✘ No attempts was made to rescue them. (use were)
✘ None of the boys are playing. (the exam wants is; are is common in everyday English)
✔ None of the work was done.
✘ None of them want to come with us. (the exam wants wants)
✔ None of the options seems correct.
✔ It is a proven fact that no living being can survive without water.
✔ No one was present when I entered the hall. (no one is singular)

> Before of we use none, not no one: None of them came to the inauguration. Remember too that none cannot stand directly before a noun. That place belongs to no.

2. No second negative with none, neither, no. None, no and neither already carry the “not”. Another negative word in the same clause gives a double negative. After not we use any.

✘ I don't recognise none of the politicians. (use any of)
✔ I do not recognise any of the politicians who have been invited today.
✘ There was no any piece of paper in my pocket. (use no piece, or not any piece)
✘ I asked two pedestrians the way, but neither of them couldn't help me. (use could)

3. All, both, every, each, either and any as a subject with “not”. When the meaning is total negation, the exam changes the sentence in the following way.

✘ All of the passengers and crew were not injured.
✔ None of the passengers and crew was injured.
✘ Both Radhika and Shyam are not going to school.
✔ Neither Radhika nor Shyam is going to school.
✘ Either he is playing or not eating.
✔ He is neither playing nor eating.
✘ Any friend did not call her. (use No friend called her)

4. Not all, not every. Not can be placed just before all / every, and then the meaning becomes “some, but not all”. If not is in the verb, then any or either can come in the object.

✘ All of us are not working.
✔ None of us is working. (no one works)
✔ Not all of us are working. (only some of us work)
✔ I did not see any of them. (not one)

This last unit is about words that change their job with their place in the sentence. First enough, which has three jobs. Then a group of words that are determiners in one place and pronouns in another.

1. Enough has three jobs.

✘ This house isn't enough big for us. (the adverb goes after the adjective: big enough)
✘ The students were not given questions enough for practice. (as a determiner it goes before the noun: enough questions)
✘ The Department has been criticised for not having much required courses. (courses are countable: enough required courses)
✘ Do you earn so much to make both ends meet? (use enough; so much needs a *that*-clause)
✔ The room was large enough to accommodate all the students.

2. Enough + to V1, and too … to. After an adjective or an adverb, enough is used in the pattern “… enough to + V1”. For a negative result we use too … to, and for a positive result we use *… enough to*.

✔ Ravi is too old to walk. (= Ravi is so old that he cannot walk.)
✔ Ravi is intelligent enough to solve this question. (= Ravi is so intelligent that he can solve this question.)
✔ She was too short to play basketball. (= She was not tall enough to play basketball.)

The concept for converting into so … that: too → so needs “not” (cannot), enough → so needs no “not” (can).

3. Determiner or pronoun? Many words can do two jobs. A word is a determiner when it stands before a noun, and a pronoun when it stands without a noun.

✔ This is my book. (pronoun)
✔ This book is mine. (determiner)
✔ These are my books. (pronoun)
✔ These books are mine. (determiner)

The words that can do both are: this, that, these, those, either, neither, each, both, some, any, many, much, a little, few, all, enough.

After the pronoun form with of, the noun is plural (or uncountable) and has its own determiner, and the verb follows that noun.

✘ Some of the issues discussed on the media nowadays has no relevance to nation-building. (issues is plural: have)
✘ This coffee is not available in any of the shop in the neighbourhood market. (use shops)
✔ Many of China's exports have been redirected to the domestic market.

4. Words that do only one job. A few words are used only as determiners, and a few only as pronouns. Pay special attention.

So no cannot stand alone and none cannot stand before a noun. Every needs a noun after it. If there is no noun, write every one or each.