Demonstrative Adjectives

1. What are Demonstrative Adjectives?

Demonstrative adjectives help us point to a noun. They show if something is near me or far from me.

We choose them by distance (near/far) and number (singular/plural).

The four demonstrative adjectives are:

Word	Distance	Number	Example
this	near	singular	This chair next to me is comfortable.
that	far	singular	That chair over there is comfortable.
these	near	plural	These chairs next to me are comfortable.
those	far	plural	Those chairs over there are comfortable.

2. Rules & Tips

2.1 When they are adjectives, they come before the noun

When we use this/that/these/those with a noun, they come before the noun.

Pattern: this/that/these/those + noun

• “This chair is comfortable.” (Correct)
• “These chairs are comfortable.” (Correct, not this chairs)
• “That book is interesting.” (Correct, not those book)

2.2 Demonstratives without a noun (pronouns)

Without a noun, they are demonstrative pronouns.

Use	Pattern	Example
demonstrative adjective	demonstrative + noun	This book is mine.
demonstrative pronoun	demonstrative without a noun	This is my book.

2.3 Use based on distance

• Near (the speaker): this / these
  • “This pen is mine.”
  • “Can I have these apples here?”
• Far (from the speaker): that / those
  • “That mountain over there is high.”
  • “Do you see those birds?”

2.4 Agree in number

Use this / that + singular noun and these / those + plural noun.

2.5 Referring to an idea or situation

This and that can also refer back to a whole idea or situation. In this use, there is no noun after them, so they are pronouns.

• “We missed the last bus. This is a problem.”
• “You passed your exam? That’s great!”

3. More Examples

• I like this book. (singular, near)
• Can I have these apples? (plural, near)
• Who owns that house? (singular, far)
• Do you see those birds? (plural, far)

4. Demonstratives with other adjectives

You can use demonstrative adjectives with common adjectives to make sentences more precise.

Structure:

Demonstrative → Adjective → Noun

Examples:

• “I want this big apple.”
• “Those old books are interesting.”
• “She bought these red shoes.”

5. Demonstratives for time

We also use demonstratives with time words:

• "I have a class this morning."
• "We are busy this week."
• "That day was very hot."
• "These days, I walk to school."

6. Introducing people and telephone calls

Use this when you introduce a person or say who you are on the phone:

• "This is my friend Ana."
• "Hello, this is Sam."

With these and those, use are: "These are my keys." / "Those are my shoes."