Demonstratives
This and These
We use this (singular) and these (plural) as pronouns:
- to talk about people or things near us:
- This is a nice cup of tea.
- Whose shoes are these?
- to introduce people:
- This is Janet.
- These are my friends John and Michael.
- to begin a conversation on the phone:
- Hello, this is David. Can I speak to Sally?
That and Those
We use that (singular) and those (plural) as pronouns to talk about things that are not near us:
- What's that?
- Those are very expensive shoes.
- This is our house, and that's Rebecca's house over there.
We also use that to reply to something someone has said:
- Shall we go to the cinema?' 'Yes, that’s a good idea.'
- 'I've got a new job.' 'That's great.'
- I'm very tired.' 'Why is that?'
With nouns
We can also use this, these, that and those with nouns.
We use this and these for people or things near us:
- We have lived in this house for twenty years.
- Have you read all of these books?
and that and those for people or things that are not near us:
- Who lives in that house?
- Who are those people?