What part of speech is the word "last"? And what is a determiner?

[Grablevskij]

Plaease, have a look at this article in an Oxford dictionary:

https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/last1_1?q=last

Last is a determiner. And in no way it is an adjective.

1. I've never known such part of speach. A determiner is a grammatical phenomenon, not a part of speach. Is it a part of speach?

2. I've always thought that there can be only one determiner for a noun.
But OALD gives us the following example: It's the last house on the left.
Definitive article is a determiner for sure. Then we have two determiners for the word "house". Is it possible?

3. Webster dictionary shows us that "last" is an adjective.

Well, if "last" is an adjective, I understand everything.

If "last" is a determiner, then I can't understand what a determiner is.

Could you help me with this?

 

[Tdol]

Re: What part of speach is the word "last"? And what a determiner is?

Oxford don't say that:

https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/us/last

It is clearly an adjective in many contexts.

 

[jutfrank]

Re: What part of speach is the word "last"? And what a determiner is?

The first thing to say is that last can have a range of quite different uses, so the word class would depend on each use.

I think last/next/this (in, say, last week, next week, this week) would generally be considered to belong to the word class 'determinative'.

Determinatives can express a range of meaning. The meaning in this case (last week) I think would be related to proximity.

 

[Grablevskij]

Re: What part of speach is the word "last"? And what a determiner is?

Oxford don't say that:

https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/us/last

It is clearly an adjective in many contexts.

I doublechecked my link above. My link is also to Oxford. And it does not say that it is an adjective. There is no adjective among the list of parts of speach for this word. It is either a mistake or something that I don't understand.

 

[Grablevskij]

Re: What part of speach is the word "last"? And what a determiner is?

The first thing to say is that last can have a range of quite different uses, so the word class would depend on each use.

I think last/next/this (in, say, last week, next week, this week) would generally be considered to belong to the word class 'determinative'.

Determinatives can express a range of meaning. The meaning in this case (last week) I think would be related to proximity.

I am speaking about a determiner. It is a grammar category.

https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/determiner?q=determiner

If you are speaking about something else, well, it seems to be off topic.

I was taught that there can be only one determiner before a noun. And this seems logical: you can't put two articles or something.

So, the question is still open.

 

[Tdol]

Re: What part of speach is the word "last"? And what a determiner is?

I doublechecked my link above. My link is also to Oxford. And it does not say that it is an adjective. There is no adjective among the list of parts of speach for this word. It is either a mistake or something that I don't understand.

Here are some more serious dictionaries that say it can be an adjective:

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/last
https://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=last
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/last
https://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/american/last_1
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/last?a=british

Try checking a few sources- that will help. A single-sourced thing is simply a single-sourced thing. If you find consensus among a number of dictionaries you have a point. There is some debate about what determiners are. You double-checked the same link, but you didn't check other dictionaries.

 

[jutfrank]

Re: What part of speach is the word "last"? And what a determiner is?

I am speaking about a determiner. It is a grammar category.

https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/determiner?q=determiner

If you are speaking about something else, well, it seems to be off topic.

I was taught that there can be only one determiner before a noun. And this seems logical: you can't put two articles or something.

So, the question is still open.

I think you're missing the point. Words can belong to different classes, depending on their function.

I saw her last weekend.

Here, last is determinative. (You can't say *the last weekend.)

I last saw her on Tuesday.

Here, last is adverbial.

It's the last house on the left.

Here, last is an adjective (until somebody tells me it's not!). It has the same function as first/second.

How long did it last?

Here, last is a verb.

 

[Rover_KE]

I have made two corrections to your thread title.