These signs acted as semantic classifiers. We have already seen that
they helped to determine where a word ends. But they had more important use.
In semitic languages, the word roots are based on the consonantic
skeleton of the word, but the grammatical value of a word depends on
the vowels. The same is true in Egyptian, particularly for verbs.
Sometimes, specially when the word contains weak consonants, as 
or 
, the apparent consonantic skeleton of the verb
changes with its uses. But often, no external change allows us to tell
one form from another. Then, sometimes, the addition of determinatives
helps. For example,
the root
,
, conventionally pronounced ``bak'', is connected with the
idea of ``working''. So, with the determinative
of actions,
,it writes the verb ``to work'':
.
With the sign of the man,
, it writes the word
``servant'':
.The word
, with the sign of plural or collective things (three ticks), meant
``work'', ``task''; but with the determinative of abstract things, the
papyrus-roll
, you get the word
, which means ``workmanship''.
Determinatives are also useful for the reader when an unknown word is
met. Signs like
, found after a strange word, indicates that it's
probably the name of a foreign country. The sign represents a range of
mountains like the gebels which surround Egypt, and are so associated
with the idea of foreign landscape.
Finally, they give us an idea of the notions ancient Egyptians put
behind some words: joy,
,
angriness,
,or
...