This, That, These, Those (Demonstratives)

What Demonstratives Are

This, that, these, and those are called demonstratives. We use them to point at people or things — to say which one we mean.

This is my book.

That car is fast.

These shoes are new.

Those flowers are beautiful.

The Four Demonstratives

There are only four. They depend on two questions:

Is the thing near me or far from me?
Is it one thing (singular) or more than one (plural)?

	Singular	Plural
Near (here)	`this`	`these`
Far (there)	`that`	`those`

This pen is mine. (one pen, near me)

These pens are mine. (more than one, near me)

That pen is yours. (one pen, far from me)

Those pens are yours. (more than one, far from me)

Two Ways to Use Them

As Adjectives (before a noun)

A demonstrative comes before a noun and tells which one.

This book is interesting.

That song is my favorite.

These cookies are delicious.

Those buildings are tall.

As Pronouns (alone)

A demonstrative can also stand alone, replacing the noun.

This is my brother. (introducing someone near you)

That is my house. (pointing at a house far away)

These are my keys. (showing keys you are holding)

Those are nice. (pointing at things over there)

When you introduce a person or talk on the phone, English uses this:

This is Maria. She is my friend.

Hello, this is Tom speaking.

Spelling and Pronunciation

Word	Pronounced	Common mistake
this	/ðɪs/	(one syllable)
that	/ðæt/	(one syllable)
these	/ðiːz/	NOT “thees”
those	/ðoʊz/	NOT “thoose”

This and these are easy to confuse. This rhymes with “kiss”; these rhymes with “bees”.

Demonstratives + Be

Be careful with the verb be — it must agree with the demonstrative.

Singular	Plural
`This is a cat.`	`These are cats.`
`That is my friend.`	`Those are my friends.`
`Is this your book?`	`Are these your books?`
`Is that the train?`	`Are those new shoes?`

Wrong	Right
`These is my friends.`	`These are my friends.`
`Those is good.`	`Those are good.`
`This are my keys.`	`These are my keys.`

Special Uses

On the phone or introducing someone

Hello, this is Anna.

Tom, this is my sister Sara.

Talking about time

Time	Word
Now / today	`this` (`this morning`, `this week`, `this year`)
Past or future, not now	`that` (`that day was great`)

I am very busy this week.

Do you remember that night?

Talking about ideas

That is a good idea!

I don't believe this.

Common Mistakes

Mistake	Better	Why
`This books are new.`	`These books are new.`	Plural noun → use `these`.
`Those is my friend.`	`That is my friend.`	One friend (singular) → `that`, not `those`.
`These house is big.`	`This house is big.`	Singular noun → `this`.
`That are my keys.`	`Those are my keys.`	Plural noun → `those` + `are`.
`I am Maria.` (on the phone)	`This is Maria.` (on the phone)	Use `this is` for phone introductions.
`What is this things?`	`What are these things?`	Plural noun (`things`) → `these` + `are`.

Practice: Exercises

1 / 12

I am holding a book. ___ book is interesting.

Summary

There are four demonstratives in English: this (singular, near), that (singular, far), these (plural, near), and those (plural, far).

Use them either before a noun (this book, those cars) or alone as a pronoun (This is mine., Those are nice.).

Match the verb be to the noun: singular → is, plural → are. So: This is, That is, These are, Those are.

For phone calls and introductions, English always uses this is: Hello, this is Anna.