Demonstrative Pronouns: Definition, Usage, and Examples

When you talk about things you have already mentioned but don’t want to repeat them, you can use demonstrative pronouns instead. There are four words,   this ,   that ,   these , and   those , which you choose based on what you want to say.

Talking about objects, people, or animals next to you or far from you, you can easily use these pronouns.

Let’s look at some demonstrative pronouns examples:

As the demonstrative pronouns definition becomes clear, we move on to the usage tips.

The pronouns allow you to express different thoughts, covering aspects such as time (whether something happened in the past or present), distance (a place, near or far), and the number of items or things (singular or plural).

As you can see, you have the opportunity to refer to specific times, places, people, and more. In the next segment, we are going to look closer at the list of demonstrative pronouns and their nuances of usage.

There are multiple ways in which these pronouns can be used, as they help emphasize the distance of items and time. Study each detail carefully and read the demonstrative pronoun examples we prepared for you.

Take into account the number

What number of people or possessions do you want to talk about? That’s what you need to do:

Rules:

• Use this and that referring to a singular or uncountable thing.

  This is the house I always wanted to buy.

  That was the game I received for my birthday.

• Use these or those when speaking about multiple objects.

  These are the shops I visit each week.

  Those were the careers I considered.

Spatial use

The choice of pronouns is tied to the place where it is. Is it far from you? Can you touch it? Or is it in another room, building, or even country?

Rules:

• This and these are used to talk about one or several objects near the speaker.

  This is here.

  These are with me.

• That and those will help you to discuss things that are far from you.

  That is far.

  Those are not inside my house.

Position in the sentence

As pronouns possess nouns’ spots, they can be placed in several positions in a sentence. Let’s look at the variations:

Rules:

• At the beginning of a sentence, instead of the subject.

  This is the time I need to study hard.

• Instead of the object.

  You won’t remember that.

• As a complement.

  The reason is this.

Formal and informal usage

Whether you want to express your feelings, emotions, or attitudes toward something in an informal way, you can do that, as well as reduce repetitions of the concepts you describe in formal contexts:

Rules:

• Applied in scientific and academic contexts to refer to the mentioned idea. (formal)

  This illustrates the importance of relying on green sources of energy.

• Help to emphasize emotions, nostalgia, and strong feelings. (informal)

  That was awesome.

  These are cool.

The best way to get a good grasp of the grammar, apart from knowing the demonstrative pronoun definition, is to read as many instances as you can to see the patterns and small particulars. Further, you will find some examples we gathered for you, categorized into singular, plural, and mixed instances.

This/that – instances with singular nouns

You want to specify one thing, then choose these pronouns:

These/those — examples with plural nouns

Remember, when you create a sentence where a pronoun takes the place of a plural noun, then do this as it is in these examples of demonstrative pronouns:

Cases in context

Now, look at the mix of instances to be able to understand and speak confidently:

Speaking of the dialogue instance from the previous section, you may have noticed that we haven’t highlighted each this, that, these, and those in the text because not all cases have demonstrative pronoun meaning. Some examples include demonstrative adjectives or determiners, and the rules of their usage differ.

Here are some tips to take into account:

• They are the same words, but serve absolutely different roles.
• Adjectives modify nouns, and pronouns replace them (both subjects and objects).
• With pronouns, we don’t need a noun. With adjectives, we need to use nouns, as they always follow them.

What are demonstrative pronouns? Now, you know that. We studied the most important grammar points, and now we are going to explore some confusing aspects to polish your knowledge.

Even though the rules seem simple, it is quite easy to make many mistakes when you are just starting to learn this grammar. Keep reading to discover some frequent errors learners make when speaking and writing sentences with the demonstrative pronouns list.

Choosing plural pronouns instead of singular

When you want to discuss one object or a person, you need to stick to this or that.

Selecting singular pronouns in place of plural

On the other hand, when you mention several people, objects, and so on, you need to opt for demonstrative pronouns for the plural.

Using the plural pronouns with uncountable nouns

If we can’t count a noun, it can’t be plural. It means, with uncountable words that include liquids, abstract nouns, and many other words, we can’t use these or those.

From this grammar guide, you need to remember the following points. First, don’t confuse pronouns and adjectives. Second, remember about the number and distance: choose this and these when something is close, select that and those when an object is far. Try writing your own instances to practice usage, and you will be able to level up your English.