FluencyLab
GrammarHub
Use this, that, these, and those to point to or identify things according to number and distance.
Overview
Use this, that, these, and those to point to or identify things according to number and distance.
Form and rules
Use this for one thing near the speaker and these for more than one thing near the speaker.
Use that for one thing farther away and those for more than one thing farther away.
This/that are singular, so use is. These/those are plural, so use are.
They can come before a noun: this book, those shoes, or stand alone: What's that?
Distance can be physical or conversational: this idea = the idea I am presenting now; that idea = an idea already mentioned.
A closer look
This and these normally refer to things that are near the speaker. That and those normally refer to things that are farther away.
This/that are singular and use is; these/those are plural and use are. Demonstratives can stand alone or come before a noun.
Examples
This chair is free.
These keys are mine.
That building is a museum.
Those people are my neighbours.
What are these?
Common mistakes
Shoes is plural, so use these or those.
Bag is singular, so use that.
Ready to practise?
The test combines multiple choice, gap completion, error correction, and sentence building so students have to recognise and produce the grammar, not simply reread the rule.