限定词（DETERMINER〕是在名词词组中对名词中心词起特指（SPECIFIC REFERENCE〕、类指（GENERIC REFERENCE〕以及表示确定数量（DEFINITE QUANTITY〕和非确定数量（INDEFINITE QUANTITY〕等限定作用的词类。名词词组除有词汇意义外，还有其所指意义（REFERENTIAL MEANING〕，是特指（即指特写的对象〕，还是类指（即泛指一类人或物〕；是有确定的数量，还是没有确定的数量。能在名词词组中表示这种所指意义的词类就是限定词。英语的限定词包括：
定冠词（DEFINTITE ARTICLE〕，不定冠词（INDEFINITE ARTICLE〕，零冠词（ZERO ARTICLE〕
物主限定词（POSSESSIVE DETERMINER〕，my, your, his, her, our, your, their, one's, its.
名词属格（GENITIVE NOUN〕，John's, my friend's.
指示限定词（DEMONSTRATIVE DETERMINER〕，this, that, these, those, such.
关系限定词（RELATIVE DETERRMINER〕，whose, which.
疑问限定词（INTERROGATIVE DETERMINER〕，what, which, whose.
不定限定词（INDEFINITE DETERMINER〕，no, some, any, each, every, enough, either, neither, all, both, half, several, many, much, (a) few, (a) little, other, another.
基数词（CARDINAL NUMERAL〕和序数词（ORDINAL NUMERAL〕
倍数词（MULTIPLICATIVE NUMERAL〕和分数词（FRACTIONAL NUMERAL〕
量词（QUANTIFIER〕a lot of, lots of, plenty of, a great of, a good deal of, a large of, a small amount of, a quantity of, a great of, a good number of等。
限定词与名词词组中心词之间有着某种固定的搭配关系；如果名词之前带有两个或两个以上的限定词，则限定词与限定词之间也有某种固定的搭配关系。本讲主要解决这两种搭配关系问题。
1 限定词与三类名词的搭配关系
限定词的选择决定于随后的名词的类别，是单数名词、复数名词，还是不可数名词。
1〕能与三类名词搭配的限定词
有些限定词如the, some, any, no, other, whose以及my, your等物主限定词和名词属格（John's, my friend's〕等能与三类名词搭配。例如：
the book, my book, my friend's book, John's book, any book, some book, no book, the other book, whose book, the books,
my books, my friend's book, John's books, any books, some books, no books, the other books, whose books, the money, my money, my friend's money, John's money, any money,
some money, no money, the other money, whose money.
2〕只能与单数名词搭配的限定词
有些限定词如a(n), one, another, each, every, either, neither, many a, such a 等只能与单数名词搭配。例如：
each worker, either book, an apple, another book, such a book, every student, neither sentence, one copy, many a book.