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When you point at a mug on your desk or gesture toward a car across the parking lot, English gives you four short words to do it with: this, that, these, and those. Learners meet them on day one, yet these little pointers keep tripping up intermediate and even advanced speakers, especially where distance, number, and feeling overlap. This guide walks through every rule that governs them, with plenty of plain-English examples and a short quiz at the end.
Table of Contents
A Quick Definition
A demonstrative adjective is a word placed in front of a noun to show the listener exactly which one you mean. The name is literal: these words demonstrate, the way a raised finger does. English has only four of them—this, that, these, and those—and every native speaker uses them dozens of times a day without thinking about the rules.
Two pieces of information sit inside each word. The first is distance: is the thing close to the speaker, or some way off? The second is number: is there one of it, or more than one? Crossing those two axes gives you the full set of four.
This mug is still hot. (near, singular)
That skyscraper is leaning a little. (far, singular)
These keys are mine. (near, plural)
Those clouds look like rain. (far, plural)
Demonstratives act as determiners as well as adjectives, which means they replace "a" and "the" rather than joining them. Nobody says "the this mug" or "a that skyscraper"—the demonstrative already does that slot's job.
Meet the Four Words
| Singular | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| Near | this | these |
| Far | that | those |
Two columns, two rows, four cells—and that's the whole system. Each word folds proximity and number into one syllable, which is why English speakers rarely need to stop and think about which to use.
This
This marks a single thing that is close, whether in space, in time, or in the current thread of conversation.
This soup needs a little more salt.
I can't get this melody out of my head.
This afternoon I have a dentist appointment.
That
That marks a single thing that is farther away—across the room, in the past, or otherwise at arm's length from the here and now.
That bike locked to the lamppost looks abandoned.
Wasn't that the café you took me to for my birthday?
That was the loudest concert I've ever been to.
These
These marks two or more things that are nearby.
These strawberries are unusually sweet.
I grabbed these headphones off the shelf by mistake.
These days, most meetings happen over video.
Those
Those marks two or more things that are far off.
Those hills on the horizon are covered in snow.
Can you grab those boxes from the top shelf?
Those were the summers we spent at my grandmother's house.
Close By, Farther Off
The "distance" that demonstratives track is not only physical space. It can be any kind of gap the speaker feels between themselves and the thing they are pointing at.
Physical Distance
The simplest case. Use this and these for things within arm's reach, and that and those for things across the room, down the street, or any distance beyond that.
This cushion I'm holding needs a new cover.
That armchair by the window has seen better days.
Temporal Distance
Demonstratives also handle closeness in time. This covers what is happening now or about to happen; that covers what has already passed or sits well in the future.
This weekend is packed with errands. (coming up)
That winter we barely left the apartment. (a specific past winter)
Are you working this Saturday? (the upcoming Saturday)
Matching Number: One or Many
The demonstrative has to match the noun in number. No exceptions, no wiggle room.
✅ This pear is ripe. (singular noun, singular demonstrative)
✅ These pears are ripe. (plural noun, plural demonstrative)
❌ This pears are ripe. (mismatch)
❌ These pear is ripe. (mismatch)
Uncountable nouns—things you cannot count one by one, like water, advice, or luggage—always take the singular forms this and that:
✅ This tea has gone cold.
✅ That advice came in handy.
❌ These tea has gone cold.
Pointing at Time, Not Space
English uses demonstratives constantly with chunks of time. The rule is the same: does the stretch of time sit close to now, or farther from it?
| Near (current/upcoming) | Far (past/distant) |
|---|---|
| this morning | that morning (a specific past morning) |
| this week | that week |
| this year | that year |
| these days | those days |
| this time | that time |
This year I'm finally learning to cook.
That year we were living above a bakery.
These days the train is never on time.
In those days, phone calls were booked hours in advance.
Feelings Hidden in the Word Choice
Speakers can stretch the near/far rule into something more psychological. Choosing that or those for something you could physically touch often signals distaste or detachment. Choosing this or these for something not literally close signals warmth, involvement, or enthusiasm.
Get that tone out of your voice. (disapproval, pushing away)
This is exactly the kind of movie I love! (enthusiasm, drawing close)
Who is that guy waving at us? (unfamiliar, kept at a distance)
This coworker of mine just won an award. (familiar, personally invested)
Adjective or Pronoun?
The same four words—this, that, these, those—can also stand in for a noun instead of decorating one. When they replace the noun entirely, they are demonstrative pronouns rather than adjectives.
| Demonstrative Adjective (before a noun) | Demonstrative Pronoun (replaces a noun) |
|---|---|
| This cake is delicious. | This is delicious. |
| I want that book. | I want that. |
| These shoes are new. | These are new. |
| Look at those stars. | Look at those. |
Tip: Check what comes after the word. If a noun follows, you are looking at a demonstrative adjective. If the sentence moves on without a noun, the same word is functioning as a pronoun. The spelling doesn't shift—only the job it does.
Phone Calls and Introductions
English has two small customs that surprise many learners: how speakers identify themselves on the phone, and how they introduce one person to another.
On the phone: "Hi, this is Priya calling." (the caller names herself)
Asking: "Is that the manager?" (asking about the person on the other end)
Introductions: "This is my classmate, Daniel." (introducing someone standing with you)
The logic follows the near/far pattern exactly. You are close to yourself, so you name yourself with this. The person at the other end of the line is "far," so you ask about them with that. Someone standing beside you counts as near, so you introduce them with this.
Mistakes Learners Make
Mistake 1: Singular and Plural Don't Match
❌ This notebooks are mine.
✅ These notebooks are mine.
❌ Those toddler is crying.
✅ That toddler is crying.
Mistake 2: Treating an Uncountable Noun as Plural
❌ These luggage is heavy.
✅ This luggage is heavy.
Mistake 3: Doubling Up with an Article
❌ I'll take the this jacket.
✅ I'll take this jacket.
Mistake 4: Using "This" When "These" Is Needed
Learners sometimes reach for this in plural contexts, especially when the plural marker on the noun is quiet or the noun is missing entirely.
❌ This are my siblings.
✅ These are my siblings.
Try It Yourself
Fill in the blank with the correct demonstrative.
1. _______ boots are too small for me. (near, plural)
Answer: These
2. Do you recognize _______ tower on the hill? (far, singular)
Answer: that
3. _______ evening we're ordering pizza. (current day)
Answer: This
4. _______ muffins on the counter are still warm. (near, plural)
Answer: These
5. I still think about _______ road trip we took through Arizona. (past)
Answer: that
6. _______ statues at the far end of the park are new. (far, plural)
Answer: Those
7. _______ feedback is exactly what I needed. (near, uncountable)
Answer: This
8. In _______ days, televisions were the size of small furniture. (past, plural)
Answer: those
Four small words, a few rules about proximity and number, and a handful of social conventions—that's the whole package. Keep an ear out for how fluent speakers reach for that when they disapprove or this when they're excited, and the emotional layer will start to feel natural too. Read aloud, practice with real objects around you, and the choice between this, that, these, and those will become one less thing you have to stop and calculate.
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