Demonstrative pronouns This, that, these, those. What is the difference between this and that in English

This, that, these, those are demonstrative or demonstrative pronouns in English. Typically, this, that, these, and those are used to refer to a specific object, being, or phenomenon. When should these pronouns be used? What is their difference? Read more in the article.

Fundamental rules

So, the rule about this, that, these and those testifies: in English speech, these words can play the role of not only pronouns, but also determiners. Consider the following table.

It's also worth noting that these is the plural form of this, and those is the plural form of that.

Thus, this and that should be used with singular nouns, and these and those with plural nouns.

Using the pronouns this, that, these and those: the rule

The first thing to remember is that we use this and that with uncountable nouns, as well as singular nouns.

Try to repeat this exercise every morning and evening.

What does this music make you think.

I've never been to that part of France.

Can I have some of that juice, please?

• Try to repeat this exercise every morning and evening.
• What does this music make you think about?
• I have never been to this part of France.
• Can I have some of this juice, please?

The English rule about this, that, these and those indicates that these and those should only be used with plural nouns:

You can use any one of these computers.

I need to paint those windows.

• You can use any of these computers.
• I need to paint those windows.

Interestingly, according to the rules of the English language, this, that, these and those are used in the context of time.

Demonstrative pronouns and time

So, for example, we often use this with words that describe time and date (morning, afternoon, evening, week, month, year).

It is important to refer to the time at which the speaker directly speaks, or the time that comes. For example:

I'll be with you some time this evening.

Johan seemed very happy this afternoon.

Ian is in Germany all this week.

• Tonight I will be with you.
• Johan seemed very happy this afternoon.
• Jan is in Germany this week.

This, that, these, those - the rule of using as pronouns further.

This, that, these, those - pronouns

We use the above words as pronouns, referring to things or phenomena:

Put the butter, chocolate and sugar in a saucepan. Heat this over a low flame until it melts.

Add butter, chocolate and sugar to a saucepan. Heat it (this/mixture container) over low heat until the food is melted.

What color are those? Black or dark blue. I can't see.

What color are they? Black or blue. I do not understand.

You can use this and that if you want to point to a person:

Linda, this is my mother, Anne.

Is that your brother over there?

• Linda, this is my mother, Ann.
• Is that your brother there?

Often demonstrative pronouns are used in telephone conversations.

Hello, is that Ken Orm? This is Jane Bromham here.

Hey, is this Ken Orme? It's Jane Bromham calling.

Use cases for this and these, that and those

In many ways, the selection of the correct pronoun is determined by the physical proximity of the object/person/phenomenon to the speaker. Those and these, this, that and spelling rules are presented in the following examples:

Translation: Shall I use this knife?

I'll post these letters on my way home.

Translation: I will send these letters on my way home.

We use that and those for things and people that are not easily identified in a given situation.

They are often more distant from the speaker, and sometimes closer to the listener:

What's in that bottle over there?

Could you blow out those candles near you?

• What's in that bottle?
• Can you blow out those candles next to you?

Sometimes they are not in the field of view of either the listener or the speaker:

Budapest! That's my favorite place!

Translation: Budapest! My favorite place!

emotional meaning

Oddly enough, the attitude of the speaker towards them plays an important role in the rule about this, that, those and these and the use of these pronouns. So we use this and these to think of positive things that we like to think about.

I love these new blue walls.

We use that and those to point out things that don't make us feel good.

(speaking of the restaurant) I didn't like the decoration. It had those awful paintings.

I didn't like the decor. There (in the restaurant) hung these horrible pictures.

Public information

We sometimes use that instead of the to direct the listener to common knowledge. For example, when telling a story or explaining something, we might say:

You know that old shop on the corner? Well, they're going to turn it into a restaurant.

Do you know that old corner store? Basically, they're going to turn it into a restaurant.

It is also acceptable to use this instead of the indefinite article a/an if the speaker refers to something important or relevant, or is going to introduce a new person, mention something new.

This guy knocked on the door and asked if I wanted new windows.

Then suddenly she pulled out this big pile of papers from her briefcase and threw them on the table.

• This guy knocked on the door and asked if I wanted to put in new windows.
• Suddenly, she pulled out such a large pile of papers from her pocket and threw it on the table.

What other uses are there for this, that, those, these?

Replacement

In the context of formal speech, it is acceptable to use the demonstrative pronouns that and those as substitutes in the meaning of the one(s), in order to avoid lexical repetitions.

The most important information is that given at the beginning of the manual.

The most important information is that (information) given at the beginning of the manual.

In this case, that replaces the word information.

The methods employed are those familiar to researchers. (sounds more formal than The methods employed are the ones familiar to researchers.)

The applied methods are those (methods) that are familiar to the researchers.

In the context of formal writing and speech, especially in academic style, we use that of/those of instead of the one of/the ones of. The use of demonstrative pronouns in this case is preferable.

The proton has a similar mass to that of a neutron

A proton has a mass similar to that of a neutron. In this case, we can see that the word mass has been replaced by the construct that of.

The emotions in the poems are those of loss and grief.

Translation: Emotions in poetry are emotions of loss and grief.

It should be noted that in English the demonstrative pronoun that can only be used as a substitute for a thing or object. Regarding animals, people and other living beings, this pronoun is not used. Consider the following dialogue.

B: The one who works at the town hall, or his brother?

You can't say: That who works at the town hall.

A: Have you met Mr. Kelly?

Q: With the one who works in the town hall, or his brother?

A: The one who works at the town hall.

However, the use of this plural demonstrative pronoun as a substitute for people and animals is permitted. For example:

There are sports facilities for guests.Those interested in golf can enjoy our course.

There are sports facilities for guests. Those who are interested in golf can enjoy our course.

The English pronouns this and these are indicative. They have some common features, but at the same time, each of these words has its own characteristics of use.

General information

Demonstrative pronouns allow you to focus on something (objects, persons, periods of time, etc.), point to objects. To begin with, let's say what this and these, which are included in this category, stand for.

This is understood as "this, this, this": this orange - this orange.

These means "these": these pictures - these pictures.

Usually, the pronouns under consideration are studied together with another pair of words of the named group: that (that) and those (those).

Comparison

A common feature for the two pronouns is that they are used to refer to objects that are nearby: this window is (and not that) window, these windows are these (not those) windows. Proximity can be not only in space, but also in time:

Jim has been to the Zootwice this year. Jim has been to the zoo twice this year.

They never get time to travel these days. They haven't been traveling lately.

Meanwhile, the difference between this and these lies in the number corresponding to each of these pronouns. This is used when talking about one thing:

I want to buy this magazine. – I want to buy this magazine.

The use of these is associated with cases where the speech contains information about several subjects:

I want to buy these magazines. I want to buy these magazines.

It should be noted that the function of the pronouns in question is ambiguous. It happens that they act as definitions for words, that is, they are pronouns-adjectives. In such cases, it is important not to forget about the rules of coordination. Namely: the noun referring to this must be used, respectively, in the singular, while these requires the noun associated with it to be plural.

Examples with pronouns-adjectives:

This table is big. This table is big.

Write these words once more. - Write these words again.

Also, this and these can play the role of noun pronouns. Then they become subjects or other members of the sentence. What is the difference between this and these used in this meaning? The fact that when using the verb to be, the pronoun this corresponds to its form is, and the pronoun these corresponds to the form are.

Examples with noun pronouns:

This is my sister Jane. This is my sister Jane.

These are birds. - These are birds.

It will be useful for a beginner English speaker to understand the frequently used demonstrative pronouns that and this in English. If you understand their use at the very beginning, this will help to avoid frequent misconceptions and mistakes in the future. So what are their differences and similarities?

That or this? Where and how?

In English, everything is not the same as in our native language. There, pronouns that indicate this and that can answer the questions "who?" and what?". And they serve as an addition and definition in the sentence. And they can even become, if necessary, an independent part of speech.

Despite the fact that they play the same general role, there is still a noticeable difference between that and this.

This - this, this, this.

That - that, that, that.

Translated into Russian, both pronouns define one object (or one person).

The essential difference between this and that is only how far this object or face is from the speaker. To be more precise, this is what is near or close to the speaker, and that is what is away from us.

This bird is mine. This bird is mine.

That bird is yours. - That bird is yours.

Which word to choose - this or that? It all depends on where exactly this bird is located. The one that sits on my shoulder will be this bird. The one that is far from me, on a tree branch - that bird.

Also, there will be a difference between this and that when we talk about the remoteness of an object. But we are no longer talking about space, as in the previous example, but about time.

For example: That was funny! I had a wonderful time! - This was spectacular! I had a wonderful time!

If the narrator, recalling the summer, speaks of the past tense, then he pronounces the pronoun that.

These and those. Difference and use of plural pronouns

Just as the difference between this and that is found, there are also differences in the plural pronouns these and those.

You need to remember when pronouns change their form:

With a lot of items, we change the form: this to these, and that to those.

These - these; Those - those.

These apples are mine. These apples are mine.

Those apples are yours. Those apples are yours.

Both pronouns indicate that there are more than one apple. The difference between these and those in the plural, as well as in the singular, is obvious. But that's not all. Distance also plays an important role.

These - these items are close.

Those - those items are far away.

Therefore, when choosing a pronoun, pay attention to the following:

1. How many (one or many).

2. Distance (here or there).

But this is not the only difference between this and that. In colloquial speech, it would be impolite to use the pronoun this to refer to someone without the intent of introducing them to someone.

For example: This is our gardener. - This is our gardener (there is a disrespectful attitude towards the gardener here)

Mom, this is Jon, my friend. Mom, dad, this is John, my friend.

In the first case, it is considered impolite to address the gardener, and in the second, John's acquaintance with his mother. In this vein, the difference between that and this will be obvious to the Englishman.

use this, that, these, those in a sentence

As mentioned above, singular and plural pronouns can go in conjunction with words that answer the questions "who?" and what?".

Also, if this or that are at the beginning of a sentence, and after them the noun that defines, then they must be followed by the verb to be. If singular, then is, if plural, then are.

This is. This is a cat. - It's a cat.

These are. These are dogs. - These are dogs.

That is. That is a car. - That's a car.

Those are. Those are tomatoes. - That's tomatoes.

Both this and that in these sentences play the role of the subject and are translated as “this”.

That and this without nouns can be seen in different sentence forms:

Which dresses would you give, these or those? - Which dress should I give you: this or that?

Who is that? - Who is it there?

If the demonstrative pronoun is preceded by a word that answers the questions "who?" and "what?", then it concretizes the object or person:

This cat has drunk our milk. This cat drank our milk.

In this example, the this pronoun specifies that this cat, and not some other, drank all our milk.

With the help of the above examples, the difference between that and this is well shown.

For Russian-speakers, the translation “this” will be more familiar and pleasant. After all, we usually don’t say “that”.

And although for us the difference between this and that does not play a special role, but it will be fundamental for a native English speaker. Therefore, to avoid an error, it is better to use this.

How to pronounce these or this correctly

In colloquial English, it is difficult to hear the difference between these and this, they seem to us almost the same by ear. Therefore, it is important to immediately figure out how to speak clearly for residents of the UK and the USA.

This is spoken at lightning speed, while the s at the end sounds like the Russian “s” - deaf. But these are best pronounced with a long, lingering “and” sound. And at the end it is important to hear "z" solid, not "s".

But how to distinguish? The answer is simple: if you learn to pronounce these pronouns accurately from the very beginning, then in a conversation with your interlocutor, you will also clearly hear the difference between that and this.

Anyone who strives to improve the English language, first of all, can start doing this by understanding where and how to correctly use such simple words as this and that. After all, you can't do without them. Very often, almost everywhere, they are found in English expressions. And, of course, it is best to do this with real native English speakers.

In terms of their purpose, demonstrative pronouns in English strongly resemble those used in Russian.

We also use different words to indicate objects that are near and far. At the same time, different pronouns are used for objects in the singular and in the plural.

We will present the correspondences of Russian and English pronouns as follows:

This item is this thing; these items are these things; that subject is that thing; those items are those things

Nevertheless, there are some differences, which consist in the special use of these pronouns when coordinating tenses and when comparing objects.

Let's start with how the demonstrative pronoun is used. this

This word is used to indicate an object that is within reach:

This orange is sour. This orange is sour.

It points to two or more objects near the speaker.

These oranges are still green. These oranges are green yet.

It is important not to confuse the pronunciation of these items. It must be remembered that the ending of the pronoun this sounds dull [ðɪs], and when pronouncing the word these, the ending is voiced [ði:z].

Consider demonstrative pronouns that

This word refers to a single object that is in the distance.

That orange hangs too high. That orange is hanging too high.

The word has a homonym which translates as "what" or "which" and should not be confused with a demonstrative pronoun.

I know that oranges are good for my health. I know that oranges are good for my health.

Finally, the demonstrative pronoun those

It, as you already understood, denotes several objects located at a distance. Perhaps these objects are no longer in your field of vision.

Those oranges were very sweet. Those oranges were very sweet.

Sharing the pronouns this, that and these, those

When we compare two objects that are within reach, we have to use two different pronouns, which is not the case in Russian:

This is a ripe orange, and this is green. This is a rape orange and that is a green one.

In plural it would look like this:

These are ripe oranges, and these are green. These are rape oranges and those are green.

We hope that you can easily complete the following table. They say that when you write down words or fill in a table with them, you remember them twice. We offer to write down pairs of phrases, rhyming them.

In conclusion, we will describe one very important feature of demonstrative pronouns when coordinating tenses during the transition from direct speech to indirect. In this case, the pronouns this and these become the words that and those:

John asked, “Give me this orange please”. John asked: "Give me this orange, please."

John asked to give him that orange. John asked to be given that orange.

John said, "These oranges seem to be too green". John said, "The oranges look too green."

John said that those oranges seemed to be too green. John said the oranges looked too green.

As you have noticed, in English, the words of the author in indirect speech pass into the past tense, and demonstrative pronouns are used to express remoteness.

This, That, These and Those known as demonstrative determiners or demonstrative pronouns ( demonstrative pronouns ). They are often used with location words. here (here and there (there), or phrases referring to a specific place, such as on the corner (on the corner). Demonstrative pronouns mean that we show someone that one or more objects are here or there.

Demonstrative pronouns in examples

Notice how the pronouns this, that, these and those change depending on the location of the items in the following dialogues. Location can be relative. If I stand in this room over there (there) can mean that someone or something is on the other side of the room, as in this example:

Harry: Could you pass me that pen on the shelfe over there?(Can you pass me that pen over there on the shelf?)
Mark: Do you mean this pen here?(You mean this pen right here?)
Harry: Yes, that pen.(Yes, that pen)
Mark: Here you are. Oh, could you pass me those newspapers on the chair over there?(Yes, please. Oh, can you pass me those papers on that chair over there?)
Harry: These? Of course, here you are.(These? Of course please)

In this dialogue, Harry asks Mark about the pen that is next to Mark. Note that Harry uses over there (there) to refer to something that is on a shelf in another part of the room.

However, the following example is about the street, and in it here covers a much larger area and there means something further away.

Harry: Is that Miss Smith over there?(Is that Miss Smith there?)
Mark: No, Miss Smith is further away. That is Mrs. Twins.(No, Miss Smith is much further away. This is Mrs. Twins)
Harry: What's the number of this house in front of us?(What is the number of this house in front of us?)
Mark: This is number 5. It's not what we need.(This is number 5. This is not what we need.)
Harry: I'm glad your sight is much better than mine! How about these flowers in this lawn?(I'm glad your eyesight is much better than mine. And what are those flowers on this lawn?)
Mark: These are called mallow.(They are called mallows.)

Here (here), There (there)

This and these are used with objects that are relatively close, i.e. they can be used with the word here (here ) or pointing to a specific nearby place.

This is my book here.(It's my book.)
These are my new shoes here. I bought them last month.(These are my new shoes. I bought them last month.)
This is my new phone on the table.(This is my new phone on the table.)
These are my sons on this sofa.(These are my sons on this couch.)

That (for the singular) and Those (for plural) are used for objects located at a distance. With that and those often used there or over there (there) to indicate that the object is far away from the speaker. At the same time, instead of there or over there can also indicate the specific location of objects at a distance.

That is my wife sitting over there.(This is my wife sitting there.)
Over there! Those are the sportsmen who won the competition.(Over there! These are the athletes who won the competition.)
Those are my friends over there.(These are my friends.)
Those are my apple trees at the back of the garden.(These are my apple trees at the back of the garden.)

Singular demonstrative pronouns

This and That are used with singular verbs and refer to one object, one person, or one place.

That blouse is wonderful!(That blouse is great!)
This window overlooks the garden.(This window overlooks the garden.)
This woman walks with a dog.(This woman is walking the dog.)
That park is known for its wildlife.(This park is known for its wildlife.)

Plural demonstrative pronouns

These andthose are used with the plural form of the verb and refer to multiple objects, people, or places.

These dresses are so light!(These dresses are so light!)
Those figures were done by Michelangelo.(These sculptures were made by Michelangelo.)
These students study in our college.(These students study at our college.)
Those girls play volleyball on the middle school team.(These girls play volleyball on the high school team.)

Exercises on demonstrative pronouns

Complete the sentences using this, that, these, those , as well as here or there :
1. Could you give me that pencil over _____?
2. Here are _____ books you wanted.
3. Can you see _____ palace next to the shop?
4. Is _____ a pen over there for me?
5. _____ are three boys standing on the beach.
6. Could I take some of _____ cakes right here?
7. _____ cars over there are luxury.
8. _____ computers on the desk are ancient.
9. _____ is the document you asked for.
10. Could I have that photo on the table over _____.

Answers and explanations for them

1. there You are talking about something remote from you.
2. those - use those in cases where you have already spoken about it before.
3. that - indicates a large building away from you.
4. there - use there in questions: is there/are there to ask if something is available.
5. There - use there to point people away from you.
6. these - use these talking about something close.
7. those - use those , pointing to multiple objects.
8. those - use those talking about something remote.
9. here - use here is/here are when you give something to someone.
10. there - use there to point to something that is in the distance.

A large number of exercises on demonstrative pronouns can be found on the website