This study is a contrastive analysis of English and Esan noun phrases, focusing on the use of determiners, and its implications for Esan learners of English as a second language in both urban and rural settings in Edo State, Nigeria. Guided by two research questions and two null hypotheses, this research emphasises the key concepts of contrastive analysis, noun phrases, and determiners. Utilising Lado’s theory of contrastive analysis (1957), the analysis indicates observable predictions that form the foundation of the proposed test items. A descriptive survey research design was adopted, with a population comprising 80 public senior secondary schools and 4,435 SS2 students in Esan land. A sample size of 24 public senior secondary schools and 351 SS2 students was selected through multistage sampling. Data was collected using the “Test of Use of Determiners in the Noun Phrases of English (TUDNPE)” developed for this study. Reliability was assessed through the t-test method and Pearson product-moment correlation, yielding a reliability index of 0.68. The research questions were addressed using mean percentage scores and standard deviation, while independent t-test was used to test the null hypotheses at a 0.05 alpha level. The findings revealed a significant difference in the performance of Esan learners, in the use of determiners in English noun phrases in urban and rural areas. Structural differences in the noun phrases of both languages posed substantial learning difficulties, which were evident in students’ performance. It is recommended that teachers enhance instructional strategies to address these differences.