LoginDemonstrative Adverbs
Discover the rules for using demonstrative adverbs like 'here', 'there', and 'therefore'. Detailed explanations and a quiz to test your knowledge.
What Are Demonstrative Adverbs?
Demonstrative adverbs are used to indicate the spatial or temporal location of something relative to the speaker. In other words, they show that something or someone is near or far from the speaker, or that an event happened in recent or past times.
Demonstrative Adverbs: Types
There are two types of demonstrative adverbs in English. One is used to talk about time and the other is used to refer to the place of someone or something. Take a look at the list below:
Demonstrative Adverbs of Time
Demonstrative Adverbs of Place
The table below presents the four demonstrative adverbs in English and their categories:
Take a look at some examples:
Your books are right here, Sicily.
She's gone to London and plans to stay there for a month.
"There" refers to a place that is far from the speaker.
Demonstrative Adverbs: Uses
Demonstrative Adverbs of Time
Demonstrative adverbs of time can be used to specify the time of an event or action relative to the present.
Now
'Now' is used to talk about the present moment in time, that is, the time of speaking. For example:
Carol would want to talk to you now.
Here, the action is happening in the present moment.
Then
We can use 'then' to point to a particular time in the past or future. For example:
I wish I knew then what I know now.
It was then that I figured out his intentions.
I'm coming back to town on Monday. I'll see you then.
Demonstrative Adverbs of Place
Demonstrative adverbs of place, such as 'here' and 'there', are often used to indicate the location of something or someone relative to the location of the speaker.
Here
'Here' as a demonstrative adverb of place can be used to point to the location of people or things that are near the speaker. Let us take a look at the following examples:
Click here to attach your application.
Can you come here for a second?
There
To point to the location of something or someone that is far away from us, we typically use the demonstrative adverb 'there'. For example:
The keys are there on the table.
The treasure is buried there on that remote island.
Archaic Adverbs
Some adverbs in Old English could be classified as demonstrative adverbs. However, these adverbs are now considered archaic and are not commonly used any more. Take a look at the table below:
Place | Time | |
|---|---|---|
Near | hither | hence |
Far | thither | thence |
In the past, the adverbs 'hither' and 'thither' were used in place of 'here' and 'there'. 'Hither' was used to refer to people or things that were near the speaker, while 'thither' was used to refer to people or things that were far from the speaker. Compare the following examples:
Come hither, young lad!
Here, it means 'come here'.
The sailors set their course thither.
Here, the sentence means look over there.
'Hence' and 'thence' were mainly used to discuss time. 'Hence' means 'from now' and 'thence' is its past form.
A week hence I shall meet him.
She decided to visit her aunt and thence head home.
Review
Demonstrative adverbs refer to a place or time relative to the speaker or the present time. The include:
Demonstrative adverbs of place: here (near), there (far)
Demonstrative adverbs of time: now (present), then (past or future)
Quiz:
Which sentence correctly uses a demonstrative adverb of place?
Put the documents now in the drawer.
Your glasses are over there on the counter.
We'll discuss this matter hence.
She arrived then at the station.
Which sentence demonstrates the correct use of a demonstrative adverb of time?
Please come here quickly!
I was in college then, but now I work.
The keys are there beside you.
Walk thither to see the monument.
Sort the words to form a correct sentence.
Complete each sentence using the correct demonstrative adverb.
Please come
and look at this document.
I was living in Tokyo
, but
I live in Osaka.
Please set the museum brochures
on the welcome table.
Two days
we'll know the election results.
Match each demonstrative adverb to its description.
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