2. Demonstratives

Determiners include demonstratives  or demonstrative determiners , also called demonstrative adjectives , the most common of which are this , that , these  and those .

As determiners, this and that come before singular nouns, and these and those being plurals of this and that respectively are used in front of plural nouns. These determiners are also used to indicate a near (this) or distant (that) object, number of the object (this/that = one; these/those = more than one); or definiteness of something or someone (this thing or this person = not that thing or that person). Determiners and the nouns that they modify must also agree in number (e.g. this donkey is/these donkeys are; that monkey has/those monkeys have).

Examples:

  • This bucket has a hole in it.
  • Behind that fat monkey is a small monkey.
  • The children sleep on these mattresses on the floor.
  • We are ready to chop those cabbages.

Demonstratives this  and that  are used with singular nouns, while these  and those  are used with plural nouns.

Examples:

  • This color is not found in the rainbow.
  • That hill  was shaped almost like a human head.
  • These footprints  are left by a three-toed creature.
  • They were trying to hatch those  dinosaur eggs .

Demonstratives this  and these  are used to indicate specific person/people and thing/things, etc. that is/are close to the speaker, and that  and those  show that it/they is/are not near to the speaker.

Examples:

  • Look at this  photo of Nessie.
  • I will ask that  policeman the way to the police station.
  • Listen to these  voices and tell me whose.
  • Those strange noises came from the roof.

Nouns need not follow these determiners if the meaning is understood. With no nouns following these determiners, they are no longer determiners; they become pronouns.

Examples:

  • Whose is this ?
  • Don’t touch these ..
  • Look at that , everyone.
  • Those  are not mine.

The words; this , that , these , and those that come before a number that represents a noun are not determiners; they are pronouns.

Examples:

  • This one smells as bad as that one .
  • These two  are bigger than  those three .

If there is an adjective modifying a noun, the demonstrative comes before the adjective.

Examples:

  • This ugly scar is caused by an operation.
  • That big  turkey makes a funny gobbling sound.
  • These edible snails are our favorite.
  • Those old blankets are full of holes.

The words – this, that , these , those  – besides being determiners, are also used as pronouns. One good way to distinguish between them is that a determiner, unlike a pronoun, comes before a noun.

Determiner Pronoun
This  potato is still hot. This  is a hot potato.
That  duckling is ugly. That  is a very ugly duckling.
These  apples are rotten. These  are rotten apples.
Those  dark clouds are gathering overhead. Those  are dark clouds gathering overhead.