Quantifiers, possessives and demonstratives
Demonstratives
demonstrative pronouns (That is nice.)a1
Demonstrative pronouns: this, that, these, those
Grammar contents
- This is my bag.
- That's Maya's computer.
- These are my children.
- Those are Tom's books.
- ‘What's this?’
- ‘What's this/that in English?’
- ‘What are these/those in English?’
- ‘Who's that?’ ‘That’s my friend, Max.’
| near | not near | |
|---|---|---|
| Singular | This is my bag. | That is her computer. |
| Plural | These are her pens. | Those are his books. |
We can use a short form with that.
- That's (That is) my dictionary.
We use the full form with this, these and those.
- This is Kate's bicycle.This's Kate's bicycle.
- These are Tom's books.These're Tom's books.
We use this or these with is/are to talk about things or people that are near us.
- This is my phone.
- These are my friends.
We use that or those with is/are to talk about things or people that aren’t near us.
- That's her bicycle.
- Those are her shoes.
We use this or that when we talk about singular nouns and uncountable nouns.
- This is your hat.
- This is great music.
- That's my car.
We use these or those when we talk about plural nouns.
- These are my books.
- Those are her sweets.
We can use this/that to introduce people.
- ‘Hi, Karen.’ ‘This is my friend Jack.’
- ‘Who's that?’ ‘That's Tom.’
We can use this, that, these or those in wh- questions to ask about people or things. We can reply with it or they.
- ‘What's that?’ ‘It's a present for Sue.’
- ‘What's this in English?’ ‘It's a bag.’
- ‘What are those in English?’ ‘They're pens.’
- ‘Who's that?’ ‘That's my friend, Max.’
Grammar contentsView all
Present perfect and past perfect
Quantifiers, possessives and demonstratives