These
'These' is the plural form of 'this.' In this part, we will go through its uses and grammatical rules in English grammar.
Functions of 'These'
1. 'These' as a Demonstrative Determiner
Use
These as a demonstrative determiner is used to identify a noun or a noun phrase. It is mainly used to show near things or people. To learn more functions of these, have a look:
- These is used to show people or things that are close to the speaker, such as:
The speaker is probably pointing at 'apples.'
I love
'These kids' is an object.
- These is used to show people or things that have already been mentioned, such as:
Loose-fitting clothes are trend nowadays.
'These styles' reflects back to 'loose-fitting clothes.'
- These is used to introduce people or things that you are going to talk about, like:
- These is used to introduce people or things into a story, for example:
This sentence is in a story.
- These is used to show things or people that are familiar to everyone. For example:
The speaker and the interlocutor both know 'which rules' they are talking about.
- These in a combination of 'these days' has a similar meaning to 'now' or 'nowadays.' For example:
People prefer to eat fast food
Position in a Sentence
These as a demonstrative determiner comes before a noun or a noun phrase. For example:
I love
'Kids' is a noun.
2. 'These' as a Demonstrative Pronoun
Use
These as a demonstrative pronoun is used to point at near people or things. It has more functions. To learn them, take a look: Here are its uses:
- These is used to refer to people or things that are near to you, for example:
The speaker is probably pointing at 'cars.'
- These is used to refer to people or things that have already been mentioned or identified, like:
- These is used to introduce people or things that you are going to talk about, such as:
Position in a Sentence
These as a demonstrative pronoun replaces the subject or the object of the sentence. It mainly comes with the 'to be' verb. For example:
'These' is the subject followed by the 'to be' verb.