Demonstrative Determiners

You've probably said a sentence like this today without thinking about it for even half a second: "Can you pass that pen?" "Look at these memes." "I hate this homework." Easy. Automatic.

The trouble usually starts when a teacher writes "agreement?" in the margin, or you type "this things are so annoying" into a group chat and someone gently corrects you: these. Suddenly a word you've used a thousand times feels like a trap. Nobody's born knowing why "this things" sounds wrong but "this thing" sounds fine. The good news is that once you see the pattern — and it really is just one small pattern — you'll stop guessing.

The four words, and the grid

There are exactly four demonstrative determiners: this, that, these, those. A determiner is a word that sits in front of a noun to tell you which one you mean. Demonstrative just means "pointing out."

Two questions decide which one you need:

1. Is the thing near you or far from you?
2. Is it singular (one) or plural (more than one)?

Put them together and you get a neat grid:

• Near + one = this → this song
• Near + more than one = these → these biscuits
• Far + one = that → that question
• Far + more than one = those → those clouds

Picture the canteen. Your mate holds up a sandwich right next to you: "This sandwich looks greasy." Later you nod at one across the room: "That sandwich looks greasy." A pile on your desk becomes "These sandwiches"; a pile across the room, "Those sandwiches." In every case the demonstrative sits directly in front of the noun.

Determiner or pronoun?

The same four words can also work as demonstrative pronouns — standing alone, with no noun following:

• Determiner: "I like this song." (this is attached to song)
• Pronoun: "I like this." (this does the whole job by itself)

Both are correct — they're just different jobs. This article is about the determiner job. Without a following noun, the same words become demonstrative pronouns.

The rule that catches almost everyone

The determiner has to agree in number with the noun that follows it:

• ✅ this book / ❌ this books
• ✅ these books / ❌ these book
• ✅ those ideas / ❌ those idea

"This things are cool" is wrong for exactly this reason: things is plural, so it needs these. Once you're listening for it, the mismatch sounds slightly wrong, a bit like wearing one shoe. The determiner must agree with the noun — and if irregular plurals like children and mice trip you up, that's covered elsewhere.

Near and far aren't only about distance

We also use this/these and that/those for:

Time: "This week has been hard" (the current week — near); "That summer was the best of my life" (a time in the past — far).

A page or screen: "In this paragraph, the writer explains the problem" (the one we're in); "In that chapter, we meet a new character."

Conversation: "So, about that idea you had yesterday…" (already mentioned); "Listen to this story!" (about to be told).

Think of this/these as pulling something close to the moment you're in, and that/those as pushing it further away.

Linking, adjectives, and tone

In stories and essays, demonstratives stop you repeating yourself: "I picked up the book. That book was heavy" is cleaner than "The book was heavy." In an essay, "These results show that our method worked" points clearly at what you just described.

Very often you'll have adjectives sitting between the demonstrative and the noun: "These difficult maths questions always take ages." The adjectives don't change the rule — the order is simply demonstrative → (adjectives) → noun. Strip the adjectives away mentally and check the noun: questions is plural, so it's these, no matter how many words sit in between.

Demonstratives can also signal how you feel. "I'm not going to listen to that nonsense" — that pushes the nonsense away, creating distance and disapproval. "I love this song!" — this pulls it close. In persuasive writing you can point at ideas the same way: "This argument ignores an important fact" usually marks the point you're developing, while "That argument fails to consider the evidence" often marks one you're pushing back against. A tiny word, quietly showing the reader what you're aligning with and what you're challenging.

The trap of vague "this"

As your writing gets more ambitious, watch for the vague demonstrative — this or that with no clear noun attached, so the reader has to guess:

• "School can be stressful. This is a problem." What exactly is "this"?

Much clearer: "This pressure is a problem." The fix is simple: give a demonstrative a clear noun so your reader isn't left guessing. If you can't finish "this what?" in three words, your sentence needs sharpening.

Watch out: don't start sentence after sentence with a bare "This shows…" or "This means…" with nothing to anchor it. Try "This evidence shows…" or "This result means…" instead — your reader will thank you.

Quick check

1. Choose: "Can you pass me ___ scissors?" (on the desk right next to you)

2. Choose: "___ question is really confusing." (pointing at one in your book)

3. Correct: This books are too easy for me now.

4. Make it specific: "School can be really stressful. This is hard to deal with."

5. Determiner or pronoun? (a) "This is my favourite." (b) "Those books are due back."

Where next

• Determiners: The Basics (the wider category demonstratives belong to)
• Demonstrative Pronouns: This, That, These, Those (when these words stand alone)
• Plural Agreement (matching singular/plural nouns correctly)