This, That, These, Those (Demonstratives)

Level: A1. This, that, these and those are the English demonstratives — the words you use to point at things. They answer two questions at once: near or far? and one or many?

The rule

A demonstrative is a word that points to a specific thing and shows how far away it is. English has exactly four, arranged in a neat grid.

Distance comes first. This and these point to something near the speaker — here, close, within reach. That and those point to something further away — over there, across the room, or already gone.

Number comes second. This and that are singular — they go with one thing (this book, that car). These and those are plural — they go with two or more (these books, those cars). So the plural noun always needs the plural demonstrative.

Demonstratives can sit before a noun (this phone is new) or stand alone as pronouns when the thing is obvious (This is new; I’ll take those).

The four forms

How to say it

The vowel sound is the main thing English learners get wrong here:

• this has a short /ɪ/ (“ih”) and ends in a buzzing /s/; these has a long /iː/ (“ee”) and ends in a /z/ — “theez”. Say them one after the other to feel the difference: this / these.
• All four start with the soft /ð/ sound (voiced “th”), made with the tongue lightly between the teeth — the same sound as in the and mother, not a hard “d” or “z”.

Example sentences

1. This is my phone.
   One thing, near — pronoun.
2. This book is interesting.
   this + singular noun, near.
3. These shoes are new.
   these + plural noun, near.
4. That is her house.
   One thing, far — pronoun.
5. That car is very fast.
   that + singular noun, far.
6. Those mountains are beautiful.
   those + plural noun, far.
7. I like this song.
   Near, singular.
8. Do you want these?
   Near, plural — pronoun.
9. Can you see that bird?
   Far, singular.
10. Who are those people?
    Far, plural.
11. This is my sister, Mia.
    Introducing someone near.
12. These are my keys.
    Near, plural — pronoun.
13. That was a great film.
    'that' for the recent past.
14. Those were the days.
    'those' for distant past.
15. I'll take these apples, not those.
    Contrast: near vs far.
16. This morning I woke up early.
    'this' for the current day.
17. Look at that!
    Far, pointing — pronoun.
18. Are these your gloves?
    Near, plural question.

Common mistakes

• ❌ This books are new. → ✅ These books are new. A plural noun needs the plural demonstrative.
• ❌ These book is new. → ✅ This book is new. A singular noun needs the singular demonstrative.
• ❌ Look at those bird. → ✅ Look at that bird. One bird → singular that.
• ❌ Give me that shoes. → ✅ Give me those shoes. Plural noun → plural those.
• ❌ That is my keys. → ✅ Those are my keys. Plural subject takes those + are.
• ❌ This here is my car. → ✅ This is my car. This already means “near”; “this here” is non-standard.

A short conversation

A: Is this your bag? B: No, that one over there is mine. These bags belong to the tour group. A: And those suitcases? B: Also theirs. Mine is the small blue one.

Usage notes

• Pointing in time. This points to now or the near future (this week, this evening), that to the past or something just mentioned (that day, that idea). Those often means a distant, remembered time: those were the days.
• On the phone. English uses demonstratives for the two speakers: you say This is Sara about yourself and Is that David? about the other person.
• Agreeing or reacting. That’s right, That’s true, That’s a good idea use that to point back to what someone just said.

Compared with…

• here and there. Here and there are the adverb partners of the demonstratives: this/these go with here (near), and that/those go with there (far). This book here / that book there. They show the same near–far contrast, but here/there describe a place while this/that point at a thing.

Quick recap before you practise.

Practice

Practice

Demonstratives practice

Try each one, then press Check. No sign-up, nothing is sent anywhere — it all runs in your browser.

1 Choose the correct word: '___ books on my desk are heavy.' (near, plural)

This That These Those

Check

Show answer

These — Near + plural = these.

2 Fill the gap (far, singular): '____ car across the road is red.'

Check

Hint: far + one thing

Show answer

That — Far + singular = that.

3 Put the words in order to make a correct sentence.

areshoesnewThese

CheckReset

Show answer

These shoes are new — Near + plural: 'These shoes are new'.

4 Match each demonstrative to its meaning.

• this Match for this — choose — many, farmany, nearone, farone, near
• these Match for these — choose — many, farmany, nearone, farone, near
• that Match for that — choose — many, farmany, nearone, farone, near
• those Match for those — choose — many, farmany, nearone, farone, near

Check

Show answer

• this → one, near
• these → many, near
• that → one, far
• those → many, far

Near/far crossed with singular/plural gives the four forms.

5 Which sentence is correct?

This are my keys. These is my keys. These are my keys. That are my keys.

Check

Show answer

These are my keys. — Plural 'keys' takes 'these' + 'are'.

Quiz

Check yourself

Demonstratives quiz

12 questions · pick an answer and you'll see straight away if it's right.

0/12 0 answered

1. 1Which word is near and singular?

   A this B these C that D those
   Show answer

   this — this = one thing, near.

2. 2Which word is far and plural?

   A this B these C that D those
   Show answer

   those — those = many things, far.

3. 3Complete: '___ shoes (near, plural) are mine.'

   A This B That C These D Those
   Show answer

   These — Near + plural = these.

4. 4Complete: '___ mountain (far, singular) is tall.'

   A This B These C That D Those
   Show answer

   That — Far + singular = that.

5. 5Which sentence is correct?

   A This books are new. B These book is new. C These books are new. D That books are new.
   Show answer

   These books are new. — Plural noun 'books' needs plural 'these'.

6. 6Complete: 'Can you see ___ bird (far, singular) in the tree?'

   A these B those C that D this
   Show answer

   that — One bird, far away = that.

7. 7On the phone, how do you say your own name?

   A That is Sara. B This is Sara. C These is Sara. D Those is Sara.
   Show answer

   This is Sara. — English uses 'This is …' for yourself on the phone.

8. 8Complete: '___ were the days!' (distant past)

   A These B This C Those D That
   Show answer

   Those — 'Those' points to a distant, remembered time.

9. 9Which is WRONG?

   A I like this song. B Give me those shoes. C Look at those bird. D These apples are sweet.
   Show answer

   Look at those bird. — One bird needs singular 'that': 'Look at that bird'.

10. 10Complete: '___ morning I got up early.' (today)

    A That B Those C This D These
    Show answer

    This — 'This morning' points to the current day.

11. 11Type the near-plural word: '____ are my glasses, right here.'
    Check
    Show answer

    These — Near + plural = these.

12. 12'That's a good idea' uses 'that' to…

    A point at something near B point back to what was just said C ask a question D show a plural
    Show answer

    point back to what was just said — 'That' can point back to a previous statement or idea.

Recap cheat-sheet

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