What Are Demonstrative Pronouns?
These are mine.
That is my car.
I want this.
Demonstrative pronouns are pronouns that are used to point to something. Like other pronouns, they take the place of a noun and can be used to clearly express exactly which thing we are talking about.
I don’t want that I want this.
There are 4 of these pronouns in total and the one we use is dependent on: –
- how close the object/s is to us.
- how many objects there are.
+
Close to the speaker
Far from the speaker
Singular
this
that
Plural
these
those
Demonstrative Adjectives
Demonstrative adjectives are similar to demonstrative pronouns but can’t stand alone in a sentence (they need a noun).
These are nice. (demonstrative pronoun)
These shoes are nice. (demonstrative adjective + noun)
Time
With regards to time, we usually use distance to separate our demonstratives depending on how close to the present something is.
I still remember my birthday all those years ago. That was a good day.
Today is my birthday. This is my favourite day of the year.
Next year will be my 18th birthday. That will be my biggest birthday party yet.
This / These Pronunciation
The pronunciation for “this” and “these” are very similar so be careful when you say them. “this” has a voiceless /s/ ending and an /ɪ/ vowel. “these” has a voiced /z/ ending and an /iː/ vowel.
this = /ðɪs/
these = /ðiːz/
Listen to the two of them together.
This / These Pronunciation Practice
Practise your pronunciation of “this” / “these” with the list below: –
- this shoe / these shoes
- this cat / these cats
- this phone / these phones
- this plant / these plants
- this pen / these pens
- this person / these people
- this sheep / these sheep
- this child / these children
- this fish / these fish
- this man / these men
Demonstrative Pronouns Quiz
See what you can remember with the quiz below!