LoginDemonstrative Determiners
In this lesson, master demonstrative determiners, which provide detailed information about specific nouns. Clear explanations and practice exercises to help you learn.
What Are Demonstrative Determiners?
Demonstrative determiner is a type of determiner that is used to point to a specific noun or noun phrase and specify its number and distance. They help to identify the noun that is being referred to in a sentence.
English Demonstrative Determiners
There are four demonstrative determiners in English which agree with the noun they modify in terms of number and mark it as definite:
Demonstrative Determiners: Usage
A demonstrative determiner can tell us about the location of something relative to the speaker's position; they show how near or far something is in terms of place or time.
Singular | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
near | this | these |
far | that | those |
This chair is empty. You can sit here.
That man over there is my teacher.
These days I'm trying to exercise more.
When used to refer to time, 'these' refers to a time in or near the present.
How much are those apples at the back?
Demonstrative determiners can also serve an anaphoric function. In other words, they can refer back to a concept or entity previously mentioned, without necessary indicating distance. For example:
He's been acting strange lately and this change in his behavior worries me.
I suggested we leave the shelter but they didn't like that idea.
Demonstrative Determiners vs. Demonstrative Pronouns
'This,' 'that,' 'these' and 'those' can act as both demonstrative determiners and demonstrative pronouns. The difference between them is:
A demonstrative determiner always comes with a noun.
A demonstrative pronoun always comes alone and is not accompanied by a noun.
Compare the following examples:
That is my son over there, Sam.
'That' as a demonstrative pronoun
That boy over there is my son Sam.
'That' as a demonstrative determiner
Someone left their shoes. Whose are these?
'These' as a demonstrative pronoun
Whose are these shoes?
'These' as a demonstrative determiner
This is a very interesting idea.
'This' as a demonstrative pronoun
This idea is very interesting.
'This' as a demonstrative determiner
I want those glasses. Those are gorgeous.
Here, the first 'those' is a determiner because it is followed by a noun. However, the second 'those' is a pronoun because it stands alone.
Review
Demonstrative determiners are similar to demonstrative pronouns, the only difference between them is that determiners must be followed by nouns. Demonstrative determiners show the number and spatial or temporal distance relative to the speaker:
Number | Distance | Example | |
|---|---|---|---|
This | singular | near | This book shares different feelings of mothers. |
That | singular | far | That man is the manager of the school. |
These | plural | near | These paper clips help you divide the book's chapters. |
Those | plural | far | I don't know those people, but they seem friendly. |
Quiz:
Which of the following sentences correctly uses a demonstrative determiner?
That is a brilliant idea.
He said that he would be on time.
I've never been in a house this big.
This cake is incredibly moist.
Which sentence correctly uses a demonstrative determiner to refer to a time period near the present?
That year was very challenging for me.
Those months were full of exciting events.
This week I have a lot of meetings scheduled.
These days were long ago and hard to remember.
Fill the table by specifying the number and distance indicated by the demonstrative determiner.
| Sentence | Distance | Number |
|---|---|---|
That | ||
These | ||
This | ||
Those |
Complete each sentence using the appropriate demonstrative determiner.
apples over there are fresh and juicy.
I don't like
shoes you're wearing today.
Can you hand me
pen next to the notebook?
idea you just shared sounds really interesting.
Fill in the table by choosing whether the demonstrative word used as a determiner or a pronoun based on the sentence.
This is a great phone. | |
That girl over there is my cousin. | |
I love those shoes you're wearing. | |
These are my favorite books. |
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