this / that / these / those

grammar (demonstratives)/ðɪs, ðæt, ðiːz, ðoʊz/ 🔊 listen

this/that/these/those are demonstratives. They show two things: distance (this/these = near, that/those = far) and number (this/that = singular, these/those = plural).

📖 Meanings

1this = near, singular
"this book" — (near, one)
2that = far, singular
"that car" — (far, one)
3these = near, plural
"these shoes" — (near, many)
4those = far, plural
"those people" — (far, many)

🔄 Often confused

this vs that →these vs those →this vs these →

💬 Rules

near → this/thesefar → that/thoseplural → these/those
❓ Which for many things far away?