This, that, these, and those are called demonstratives — they point to or indicate specific people, things, or ideas. They function either as adjectives (this book, those students) or as pronouns (this is mine, those are theirs). The distinction between this/these (near) and that/those (far or previous) applies not just to physical space but also to time, emotional distance, and the organisation of ideas in a text. Understanding these functions fully will help you explain demonstratives clearly and use them with precision in your own speaking and writing.
Before you start — think honestly about your own teaching and experience.
Look at the examples. Answer each question before reading the explanation — this is how your students will learn too.
(Holding several papers close) These papers need to be signed.
(Pointing to papers across the room) Those papers need to be signed.
Look at the four demonstratives. What is the pattern for choosing between them? What does 'near' and 'far' mean here?
This and these refer to things that are near — physically close to the speaker, or close in time (now, recent). That and those refer to things that are far — physically distant from the speaker, or further away in time (then, earlier, just mentioned). The singular/plural distinction is equally important: this and that are singular; these and those are plural. So the choice involves two decisions: near or far? singular or plural? A book close to me = this book. Several books far from me = those books. This four-way grid is worth drawing for learners and is the foundation of everything else in this lesson.
A teacher has just explained a new rule. She says:
'Now, that is what I need you to remember.'
In the first sentence, 'this' points forward — to what the teacher is about to say. In the second, 'that' points backward — to what she just said. Can you see how demonstratives organise ideas in speech?
In spoken and written discourse, demonstratives do not only point to physical objects — they also point to ideas, statements, and information in a text or conversation. 'This' points forward or to something very recently mentioned. 'That' points back to something said or written earlier. This discourse function is extremely useful for teachers both in their own communication and in helping learners organise their writing. 'This shows that...' (what I just described shows...). 'That is why...' (that is the reason, referring back). 'These findings suggest...' (the findings I just presented). Understanding this discourse function lifts demonstrative pronouns from basic pointing words to powerful tools for academic and professional writing.
That was a long meeting.
That meeting was long.
In the first sentence of each pair, the demonstrative stands alone. In the second, it comes before a noun. What is the grammatical difference between these two uses?
When a demonstrative stands alone — replacing a noun — it is a pronoun: 'This is interesting' (this = the problem). When a demonstrative comes before a noun — describing it — it is an adjective: 'This problem is interesting'. The meaning is the same; the grammatical function differs. Both uses are correct and natural. Learners sometimes have difficulty knowing which form to use, but the rule is simple: if a noun follows immediately, the demonstrative is an adjective. If it stands alone, it is a pronoun. This mirrors exactly the distinction between possessive adjectives and possessive pronouns covered earlier in this series.'
| Tense / Form | Use / Meaning | Example | Key time words |
|---|---|---|---|
| Near / current | Far / previous | ||
| Singular | this | that | |
| Plural | these | those | |
| As adjective | This book is new. / These books are new. | That book is old. / Those books are old. | |
| As pronoun | This is new. / These are new. | That was useful. / Those were useful. | |
| In discourse | This is important: ... (points forward) | That is why... (points back to earlier idea) | |
| Agreement | This + singular noun. These + plural noun. | That + singular noun. Those + plural noun. |
DEMONSTRATIVES AND UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS
A common error involves using 'these' or 'those' with uncountable nouns. Uncountable nouns are always singular in English — information, advice, equipment, furniture, research, news, evidence. Because these nouns are singular, they take 'this' or 'that' — never 'these' or 'those'. 'This information is useful' — not 'these informations'. 'That advice was helpful' — not 'those advices'. Learners who treat these nouns as countable and use plural demonstratives are making two errors at once: the uncountable noun error and the demonstrative agreement error. Both need to be addressed.
THIS IN INTRODUCTIONS AND CONCLUSIONS
'This' is used extensively in academic and formal writing to introduce or refer to content. 'This essay argues that...' (introducing what follows). 'This study examines...' 'This report aims to...' All of these use 'this' as an adjective pointing forward to the document itself. Similarly, 'this shows that...', 'this suggests that...', and 'this demonstrates that...' use 'this' to refer back to evidence just presented. These are important patterns for learners who write formally.
THAT AS A CONJUNCTION VERSUS THAT AS A DEMONSTRATIVE
Learners sometimes confuse 'that' as a demonstrative pronoun with 'that' as a conjunction. 'She said that she would come.' (conjunction — joins clauses). 'That was a useful lesson.' (demonstrative — refers to a specific event). The conjunction 'that' can usually be omitted: 'She said she would come.' The demonstrative 'that' cannot be omitted — it is doing the pointing work. Recognising the difference is useful for learners who are developing more complex sentence structures.
WHICH DEMONSTRATIVE DO I NEED? - Is the thing near or current? → This (singular) or these (plural). - Is the thing far, past, or previously mentioned? → That (singular) or those (plural). - Is a noun following the demonstrative? → Adjective use — check number agreement (this/that + singular, these/those + plural). - Is the demonstrative standing alone? → Pronoun use — the noun is implied from context. - Is the noun uncountable (information, advice, equipment)? → Always singular → this or that, never these or those. - In discourse, are you pointing to what follows? → This. To what was just said? → That.
Choose the correct demonstrative to complete each sentence.
Each sentence has one demonstrative error. Write the correct sentence and explain the mistake.
Use this sequence directly in class — guided discovery, no textbook needed. Tap each step to mark it done.
STEP 1 — POINT AND NAME (5 minutes): Pick up objects from different distances in the room. Ask learners to describe each one using the correct demonstrative. Close object: 'This book is mine.' Far object: 'That chair is broken.' Multiple close objects: 'These papers are for the students.' Multiple far objects: 'Those bags belong to Class 6.' Establish the near/far and singular/plural grid clearly.
STEP 2 — ADJECTIVE OR PRONOUN? (6 minutes): Write two sets of sentences — one where the demonstrative comes before a noun (adjective use), one where it stands alone (pronoun use). Ask learners: 'Is there a noun after the demonstrative?' If yes, it is an adjective. If no, it is a pronoun. Ask learners to produce one of each type for each demonstrative.
STEP 3 — THIS POINTS FORWARD, THAT POINTS BACK (7 minutes): Write three examples of discourse demonstratives on the board — two using 'this' to introduce something, two using 'that' to refer back. Ask learners: 'What does this/that refer to in each sentence?' Then ask them to produce one 'this points forward' sentence and one 'that points back' sentence about their own school or teaching.
STEP 4 — UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS (6 minutes): Write ten nouns on the board — a mix of countable and uncountable. Ask learners to categorise them. Then ask: 'Which demonstrative goes with uncountable nouns?' Confirm: this or that (singular), never these or those. Give five sentences and ask learners to choose the correct demonstrative for each, paying attention to whether the noun is countable or uncountable.
STEP 5 — WRITE THREE SENTENCES (6 minutes): Ask learners to write three sentences using demonstratives: one using 'this' or 'these' as an adjective, one using 'that' or 'those' as a pronoun, and one using a demonstrative to refer to a previous idea (discourse use). Share with a partner for checking. Invite two or three learners to share with the class.
Use directly in class — copy, adapt, or read aloud. No printing needed.
For each strategy, choose the option that best describes where you are now.
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