What are demonstrative pronouns? The demonstrative pronoun is used to talk about a specific thing, as we can see in the sentence ‘this is an apple.’ This type of pronoun is used in a lot of sentences during both written and spoken English and as you may be expect, there are rules which are involved with its use.
In this section, we will be looking at the demonstrative pronoun in much more detail and this will enable you to use it within your sentences, making you sound much more fluent.
Demonstrative Pronouns
The demonstrative pronouns are the same words as the demonstrative adjectives (this, that, these, and those). They are used to point out specific people or things. They can be either near or far in distance or time, specifically:
- Near in time / distance: this & these
- Far in time / distance: that & those
The demonstrative pronouns this and that are singular and these and those are plural.
Examples:
- This is an enormous field.
- Can you see that?
- These are my suitcases.
- Do not approach those.
Demonstrative Pronoun vs. Demonstrative Adjective
Demonstrative pronouns point to the object they are replacing and can stand alone and function as a noun. Demonstrative adjectives describe a noun and cannot stand alone.
Examples:
- These are delicious cookies. (These is used as a demonstrative pronoun that stands alone.)
- These tomatoes is fresh. (These is used as a demonstrative adjective that qualifies the noun tomato.)
Learn how to use demonstrative pronouns (This, That, These, Those) in English with a useful list, example sentences and ESL picture.
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