Demonstratives (This/That/These/Those): Easy Rules + Examples for ESL Learners

Demonstratives are the words we use to point to people, things, places, and ideas: this, that, these, and those. For ESL learners, they look simple at first, but they affect meaning in everyday speaking and writing more than many grammar topics. I teach this point early because small choices such as “this book” or “those books” instantly show number, distance, and sometimes attitude. If you choose the wrong demonstrative, your sentence may still be understood, but it can sound unnatural or confusing. In class, I often see learners mix up singular and plural forms, especially when speaking quickly, or use “this” for everything because it feels safer. Building control over demonstratives improves accuracy in conversation, email writing, presentations, and exams.

In grammar, a demonstrative identifies a noun or replaces one. As determiners, demonstratives come before nouns: “this phone,” “those shoes.” As pronouns, they stand alone: “This is expensive,” “Those are mine.” The core rule is straightforward. Use this and these for things near the speaker; use that and those for things farther away. Use this and that with singular nouns; use these and those with plural nouns. Near and far can describe physical space, time, or mental focus. For example, “this week” means the current week, while “that week” usually refers to a different week in the past or future. These meanings are foundational across English varieties, though speech patterns can differ slightly by region and context.

This topic matters because demonstratives connect grammar to real communication. They appear in introductions, instructions, shopping, storytelling, meetings, and academic writing. A customer says, “I’ll take this one.” A teacher says, “Those answers are correct.” A presenter says, “This chart shows our sales trend.” Demonstratives also help organize longer speech and writing by linking to information that has just been mentioned or will be explained next. If you are building strong grammar under the broader Grammar topic, Miscellaneous forms like demonstratives deserve hub-level attention because they combine form, meaning, pronunciation, and discourse use. Once learners understand the rules clearly and practice common patterns, they make fewer mistakes and sound more natural in both spoken and written English.

Core Rules: Singular, Plural, Near, and Far

The fastest way to learn demonstratives is to remember two questions: Is the noun singular or plural, and is it near or far? Singular plus near gives this. Singular plus far gives that. Plural plus near gives these. Plural plus far gives those. In practical teaching, I tell learners to check the noun first because number errors are the most common. “This apples” is wrong because apples is plural; it must be “these apples.” “Those chair” is wrong because chair is singular; it must be “that chair” if one chair is far away.

Near and far usually refer to physical distance from the speaker, but not always. If I am holding a pen, I say, “This pen is new.” If a pen is across the room, I say, “That pen is new.” If books are on my desk, I say, “These books are heavy.” If books are on another shelf, I say, “Those books are heavy.” The same system works with time. “This morning” refers to the morning of the current day. “That morning” usually points to a specific morning in the past. In conversation, speakers also use demonstratives for psychological distance. “I like this idea” sounds involved and immediate; “that idea” can sound more distant, neutral, or sometimes less supportive.

A useful test is substitution. If you can count one item, choose this or that. If you mean more than one, choose these or those. Then decide distance. This simple sequence prevents many beginner and intermediate mistakes.

Demonstrative Determiners and Demonstrative Pronouns

Demonstratives have two main jobs. First, they work as determiners before nouns: “this lesson,” “those emails.” Second, they work as pronouns without a following noun: “This is difficult,” “Those belong to Ahmed.” ESL learners need both patterns because textbooks often present only the first. In real use, the pronoun pattern is constant in meetings, shops, and daily conversation. Think of a cashier asking, “Do you want this?” or a colleague saying, “Those were the final numbers.”

The grammar around agreement is important. When a demonstrative is the subject, the verb must agree in number: “This is my key,” “These are my keys.” Learners often say “These is” or “This are” because they focus on the noun and speak too quickly. Slowing down helps. I train students to hear the full chunk: “this is,” “that is,” “these are,” “those are.” In pronunciation, native speakers often contract singular forms in speech: “this is” becomes “this’s” in connected speech, though writing should remain standard. Plural forms keep the clear verb: “these are,” “those are.”

Another key point is that demonstratives can refer to things already mentioned in discourse. In a report, you might write, “The team missed two deadlines. This problem affected client trust.” Here, “this problem” points back to the earlier statement. You can also point forward: “Consider this question: why did sales fall in Q3?” This use is common in academic and business English because it creates cohesion. Style guides such as the Chicago Manual of Style and many university writing centers recommend making the reference clear, especially after “this” or “these,” by adding a noun such as issue, result, or trend.

Common Uses in Everyday English

Demonstratives are everywhere in daily life. In shopping, you hear “I want this shirt” and “How much are those?” In classrooms, teachers say “This sentence is correct” and “Those examples need articles.” At home, family members use them for objects and routines: “Put these plates on the table” or “That towel is wet.” Because the forms are frequent and functional, mastering them gives immediate returns. Learners who use demonstratives well usually sound more confident because they can identify exactly what they mean without repeating long nouns.

Phone and video calls create an interesting situation. Physical distance is less important than shared attention. During a screen-share, a manager may say, “This chart shows monthly churn,” even though the chart is digital. The item is “near” in shared focus, not in physical space. In customer support, an agent might say, “Try this step first,” referring to the current instruction. By contrast, “that issue” often refers to a previous problem already discussed. This distinction matters in remote work, which has made demonstrative use even more discourse-based than location-based.

Storytelling provides another major use. Speakers often use this to make a story feel vivid: “So this guy walks into the café…” Here, this does not mean physical nearness. It signals immediacy and involvement. That can create distance or emphasis: “That was the moment I knew.” In my experience, advanced learners improve quickly when they notice these patterns in films, podcasts, and interviews rather than treating demonstratives only as pointing words for classroom objects.

Common Mistakes ESL Learners Make

The first common mistake is number mismatch. Learners say “this books” or “that people.” The fix is mechanical but effective: identify whether the noun is one or more than one before choosing the demonstrative. The second mistake is overusing here-based logic and forgetting discourse context. A student writing an essay may say “that problem” when referring to the issue currently under discussion; “this problem” would usually be more natural because the idea is close in the text. The third mistake is leaving the reference unclear. A sentence like “This shows why the company failed” can confuse readers if the previous sentence contains several possible causes. Writing “This delay shows why the company failed” is clearer.

Another issue is pronunciation. Many learners pronounce these and this too similarly, especially if their first language does not distinguish final /s/ and /z/ clearly or does not use the voiced dental sound /ð/. Minimal-pair style practice helps: this, these, that, those. I also encourage learners to practice fixed phrases aloud: “this one,” “that one,” “these ones” is often avoided in formal use, and “those ones” can sound unnecessary when “those” is enough. In standard usage, “these” and “those” normally stand alone without ones unless contrast makes it useful in conversation.

Finally, learners sometimes confuse demonstratives with articles and pronouns. You say “this car,” not “the this car.” You can say “this is my car” or “it is my car,” but the meanings differ. This identifies something; it refers back to a known thing. Understanding that distinction prevents many awkward sentences.

How to Practice and Build Accuracy

The best practice moves from real objects to real communication. Start with visible items on a desk: “This notebook is blue. These pens are mine. That charger is yours. Those papers are old.” Then shift to photos, slides, and screens, where shared attention matters. Next, practice time expressions: this week, that day, these days, those years. After that, use paragraph-linking exercises in writing: “The company lost market share. This decline followed a price increase.” This progression mirrors how English is actually used.

For self-study, corpus tools and learner dictionaries are useful. The Cambridge Dictionary and Merriam-Webster provide clear examples, while corpora such as COCA show common patterns in authentic English. Recording yourself is also effective. Listen for agreement errors like “these is” and for unclear references after this or that. If you are teaching or learning within a larger Grammar pathway, connect demonstratives to articles, pronouns, countable nouns, and speaking fluency. They sit in Miscellaneous grammar only because they cross so many categories, not because they are minor.

Demonstratives are small words with a big job. They show number, distance, attention, and structure in a way few grammar items can. Learn the core rule first: this and these for near, that and those for far; this and that for singular, these and those for plural. Then master the two functions: before nouns and as pronouns. Pay attention to everyday uses in shops, meetings, calls, and stories, and watch for common errors such as number mismatch, unclear reference, and weak pronunciation. If you want stronger English across conversation and writing, review your sentences this week and correct every demonstrative choice you can find.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the difference between this, that, these, and those?

The basic difference is number and distance. This and that are singular, so we use them with one person, one thing, one place, or one idea. These and those are plural, so we use them with more than one. Distance also matters. This and these usually refer to things that are near the speaker, while that and those usually refer to things that are farther away. For example, you can say, “This pen is mine” if the pen is in your hand, but “That pen is mine” if the pen is across the room. In the plural, “These shoes are new” suggests the shoes are close, while “Those shoes are expensive” suggests they are farther away. ESL learners should remember this simple pattern: singular near = this, singular far = that, plural near = these, plural far = those. Once that pattern is clear, choosing the correct word becomes much easier in everyday speech and writing.

2. How do I know when something is “near” or “far” when using demonstratives?

“Near” and “far” are not always about physical space. Very often, they are, but English speakers also use demonstratives for time, ideas, and emotional distance. Physical distance is the easiest example: “This chair” is the chair next to me, and “that chair” is the chair on the other side of the room. But we also say “this week” for the current week and “that day” for a more distant time in the past or future. The same is true for ideas in conversation. If I am talking about an idea I just mentioned, I might say, “This is important,” because the idea feels current and close in the discussion. If I want to refer back to something more distant in the conversation, I may say, “That was a good point.” Sometimes demonstratives also show attitude. “This amazing cake” can feel warm and enthusiastic, while “that guy” may sound more detached or even slightly negative, depending on tone. So when choosing a demonstrative, ask yourself: Is it singular or plural? Is it physically close or far? Is it close or far in time? Does it feel close or distant in the conversation? These questions will help you sound more natural.

3. Can demonstratives be used without a noun?

Yes, absolutely. Demonstratives can work both as determiners and as pronouns. As determiners, they come before a noun: “this car,” “that house,” “these cookies,” and “those bags.” As pronouns, they stand alone because the noun is already understood from the context. For example, if you are choosing between two shirts, you might say, “This is better than that.” In a shop, you could point and ask, “How much is this?” If someone offers several options, you might respond, “These are fine, but those are too expensive.” This use is very common in natural English. The important point is that the listener must be able to understand what “this,” “that,” “these,” or “those” refers to. If the reference is unclear, the sentence can sound confusing. For ESL learners, this is a useful skill because using demonstratives as pronouns helps make speech more fluent and less repetitive. Instead of saying “I like this book, but I do not like that book,” you can say, “I like this, but I do not like that,” if both speakers know which books are being discussed.

4. What are the most common mistakes ESL learners make with demonstratives?

The most common mistakes are mixing up singular and plural forms, choosing the wrong distance word, and forgetting agreement with the verb. A very common error is saying “this books” or “those book.” Remember that this and that must go with singular nouns, while these and those must go with plural nouns. Another frequent mistake is using a near demonstrative when the context needs a far one, or the opposite. For example, if you are pointing to something across the room, “that table” is usually more natural than “this table.” Learners also sometimes forget verb agreement: “This are my keys” is incorrect because this is singular. The correct sentence is “These are my keys.” Similarly, “Those is my friends” should be “Those are my friends.” Another subtle issue is overusing demonstratives where English would normally use an article or another structure. For example, learners sometimes say “I like this music” when they mean music in general. If you mean music generally, “I like music” is better. If you mean the music playing now, then “I like this music” is correct. Paying attention to number, distance, and meaning will help you avoid these errors and sound much more natural.

5. How can I practice demonstratives so I use them correctly in real conversation?

The best practice combines grammar awareness with real speaking situations. Start with simple objects around you. Look at one object near you and say a sentence with this: “This phone is old.” Then look at one object farther away and make a sentence with that: “That window is open.” Next, practice plural forms: “These papers are important” and “Those buildings are tall.” After that, move beyond physical objects and practice time and ideas. Say sentences such as “This week is busy,” “That day was unforgettable,” “This is what I mean,” and “Those were great suggestions.” You can also use pictures. Choose a photo and describe items that are near the front and far in the background. Another excellent method is dialogue practice. For example: “Which cookies do you want?” “These look good, but those look too sweet.” Reading and listening also help. Pay attention to how native speakers use demonstratives in films, podcasts, and conversations. Notice not only what they point to, but also how demonstratives can show attitude, emphasis, or emotional distance. Finally, correct yourself actively. Every time you use one of these words, quickly check: singular or plural? near or far? If you build that habit, the correct form will become automatic over time.