English — Demonstratives: this/that/these/those
English points to things with four words: this and these for what is near, that and those for what is far. Each pair splits into singular and plural: this book / these books, that car / those cars.
How it works
Distance chooses this/these vs that/those, and number chooses singular vs plural. Near and singular: this (this pen). Near and plural: these (these keys). Far and singular: that (that house). Far and plural: those (those mountains). The word stays the same whether it stands alone (I want this) or sits before a noun (I want this one).
Forms and uses
| Word | Distance / number | Example |
|---|---|---|
| this | near, singular | This is my seat. |
| these | near, plural | These shoes are new. |
| that | far, singular | That was a good film. |
| those | far, plural | Those birds fly south. |
| this week | time: current period | I'm busy this week. |
| this / that | reference in speech | This is why I called. |
Good to know
Beyond space, this/these point to what is close in time or just mentioned (this week, this is why I called), while that/those point to what is finished or earlier (that was a good film). A common learner mistake is ignoring number: say these books, not "this books", and those people, not "that people".