Grammar

This, That, These, Those

These demonstratives point to things by number and distance. This/these are for things near you; that/those are for things farther away.

Post

Level A1 Nouns & Determiners

Summary

These demonstratives point to things by number and distance. This/these are for things near you; that/those are for things farther away.

Structure

this/that + singular noun | these/those + plural noun

Examples

Common mistakes

• Saying 'this books' instead of 'these books' — this is singular.
• Mixing distance, e.g. using 'this' for something across the room instead of 'that'.

Related

Plural Nouns

More nouns & determiners

Plural and Quantifiers: Some / Any A1

Use 'some' in positive sentences and offers/requests, and 'any' in negatives and most questions. They work with plural countable nouns and uncountable nouns.

Plural Nouns A1

Most English nouns add -s to show more than one. Nouns ending in -s, -ss, -sh, -ch, or -x take -es, and a noun ending in consonant + y changes y to -ies.

Countable and Uncountable Nouns A2

Countable nouns can be counted and have plural forms; uncountable nouns name things we see as a mass and have no plural. The distinction controls which determiners and verbs you can use.

Possessive 's A1

Add 's to a noun to show ownership or relationship. For plural nouns already ending in -s, add only an apostrophe.

There Is and There Are A1

Use 'there is' and 'there are' to say that something exists or is present. The verb agrees with the noun that follows: singular takes 'is', plural takes 'are'.

External links

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