Demonstrative pronouns are used to point something out and replace nouns or noun phrases.
- This is a book.
- That is a table.
- These are my books.
- Those are my shoes.
| Demonstrative Pronouns | ||
| here/near | there/far | |
| singular | this | that |
| plural | these | those |
We use ‘this’ and ‘these’ to introduce people.
- Hi Daniel, this is Lucas. Lucas, this is Daniel.
- Hey, Dad, these are my friends.
When we introduce people, we use the singular form with their names.
- Hey Dad, this is Daniel, and this is Lucas.
We use ‘this’ and ‘that’ to introduce someone when they are speaking on the phone.
- This is Gabriel speaking. Is that James?
When an action is near or far in time
- This is a delicious meal. [while eating]
- That is beautiful. [while looking at something in the distance]
- That tastes really good.
- Those were very tasty cookies. [eaten]
When we are answering a question, it is not necessary to repeat the pronoun. Instead, we can use ‘it’ for singular and ‘they’ for plural.
- What’s this? – This is an umbrella. Or it’s an umbrella.
- Is that a cellphone? – No, that’s not, or it is not a cellphone.
- Are these your kids? – Yes, they are, or these are my kids.
- What are those? – They are my shoes. Or those are my shoes.
