Determiners
Determiner agreement is important in PSC Written Expression, where articles and other determiners must match the noun correctly, and it can also help in Reading Comprehension, where small differences in form can change the precision and accuracy of an answer choice. Determiners are often tested through short but tricky choices such as ce / cet, tout / toute / tous / toutes, or possessive forms like son / sa. These errors are easy to miss because the noun may look familiar even when the determiner is wrong.
Why this matters on the PSC test
A determiner introduces the noun and must match it correctly. On the PSC test, candidates often need to choose the right form according to gender, number, or sound, especially before vowels and in formal written French.
Core rule
The determiner must agree with the noun it introduces and must fit the context of the sentence.
Some forms also change for ease of pronunciation. For example, before a feminine noun beginning with a vowel, French uses son instead of sa: son entrée.
ce taux
toutes les données
tout entrepreneur
son entrée
Common PSC traps
- Demonstratives: ce becomes cet before a vowel or silent h. Example: cet accord, but ce document.
- Indefinite forms: tout changes with the noun. Example: tout entrepreneur, toutes les données.
- Possessives before vowels: use son, mon, ton before a feminine singular noun beginning with a vowel. Example: son entrée.
- Plural nouns: make sure the determiner is plural too. Example: tous les végétaux.
- Pronoun confusion: do not confuse determiners with pronouns such as ceux.
PSC-style examples
Ce taux est normalement annoncé à dates préétablies.
Toutes les données sont étiquetées avec des codes.
Tout entrepreneur a besoin d’un plan clair.
Le visiteur a présenté son entrée à l’accueil.
Tous les végétaux doivent être inspectés.
Mini practice
a) ce
b) cet
a) Toutes
b) Tout
a) sa
b) son
1. b) cet
2. a) Toutes
3. b) son