Grammar guide Updated 2026-10-03
This, That, These, Those: Teaching Demonstratives
Four small words do one big job: they point. This and these point to what is near the speaker; that and those point to what is farther away. Distance and number are two separate choices, so the whole system is a two-by-two grid that learners can hold in one picture.
The four-word grid
Build the grid on the board and keep it visible for the whole lesson. Each cell is one word.
| Near | Far | |
|---|---|---|
| Singular | this — This book is heavy. | that — That book on the shelf is heavy. |
| Plural | these — These books are heavy. | those — Those books on the shelf are heavy. |
Distance is not measured only in metres. Near can mean close in time or close to the moment of speaking: this morning is today, while that morning is a day already past, which the prepositions of time guide treats alongside other time expressions. Distance can also be emotional: a speaker who says that man often sounds cooler than one who says this man.
Determiners and pronouns
The same four words do two jobs. Before a noun they are determiners: This bag is mine. Standing alone they are pronouns: This is my bag. The test is simple — if a noun follows the word, it is a determiner; if nothing follows, it is a pronoun. A pronoun never takes a noun after it, so This bag is mine is correct but This is bag is not.
Keep this pair next to the possessives, because learners meet both at the same stage: this bag versus my bag. The possessive adjectives guide shows how my, your and their fill the same slot before a noun.
This versus it
This introduces something new or points at what is in front of you; it points back to the same thing already named. I bought a new phone. It is nice. — it is that phone. But if you hold the phone up, you say This is nice. Use this for the thing you are showing or about to describe, and it for the same, already known thing.
On the phone and at the door
English uses a fixed split when the other person is out of sight. The speaker is this and the listener is that: Hello, this is Anna. Is that Tom? The same pattern works at a front door or through a closed office door, because you cannot point at the person.
Pointing back to a whole idea
This and these can also point to a whole sentence or paragraph that has just been said: We should start earlier. This is a good point. That reaches further back or sounds more distant: That was a useful meeting last week. In writing, this is the safer choice when you mean the idea you have just given.
That in relative clauses
That has a second life as a joining word: the book that I bought. In a defining clause it is common with both people and things, and which also works for things. The relative clauses guide covers the full choice, so one example is enough here.
Pronunciation
This, that, these and those all begin with the voiced th sound /ð/, made with the tongue lightly between the teeth. Many learners replace it with /z/ or /d/, so this becomes zis or dis. Contrast they and day, then and den. The vowel then separates the pairs: this has a short vowel /ɪ/ and these a long one /iː/, while that is short and those ends in a voiced /z/.
Errors to correct early
- these book. The noun must be plural: these books.
- this ones. This is singular and ones is plural: these ones or simply these.
- those is expensive. A plural takes a plural verb: those are expensive.
- that these shoes. Choose one word, not two: these shoes or those shoes.
- I like this shoes. The demonstrative and the noun must agree: these shoes.
Drill 1: point and ask
Place objects around the room at different distances: a pen on the desk, a bag by the door, two posters on the far wall. Learners point and ask What's this? or What's that?, and the partner answers with the matching word. Swap roles after every five questions.
Drill 2: near or far
Make two trays, one labelled near and one far, and hand out noun cards such as phone, keys, umbrella, shoes. A learner puts a card on a tray and says the full phrase: These keys are near or That umbrella is far. The physical move keeps the distance meaning visible.
Drill 3: correct the sentence
Write six sentences on the board with one error in each, several of them demonstrative errors: These book is new. Teams find the fault, fix it, and explain the number or distance rule they used. The find-and-explain routine is the same one used in the classroom grammar drills collection.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between this and that?
This points to something near the speaker; that points to something farther away. The same near and far split runs through the plural forms: these for near things and those for far things.
What is the difference between these and those?
Both are plural. These points to things near the speaker, as in These shoes are mine, and those points to things farther away, as in Those shoes by the door are mine.
Can this and that be used as pronouns?
Yes. They are pronouns when they stand alone, as in This is my bag, and determiners when a noun follows, as in This bag is mine. A pronoun never takes a noun after it.
Why is these book wrong?
These is plural and book is singular, so the two do not agree. Use these books or this book. The demonstrative and the noun must match in number, and that is the mistake to watch for most often.
How do I use this and that on the phone?
Say This is Anna to introduce yourself, and Is that Tom? to ask who is listening. The speaker uses this for themselves and that for the other person.