Professional Courses
Industry-relevant training in Business, Technology, and Design to help professionals and graduates upskill for real-world careers.
Categories
Interactive Games
Fun, engaging games to boost memory, math fluency, typing speed, and English skillsβperfect for learners of all ages.
Typing
Memory
Math
English Adventures
Knowledge
Enroll to start learning
Youβve not yet enrolled in this course. Please enroll for free to listen to audio lessons, classroom podcasts and take mock test.
Interactive Audio Lesson
Listen to a student-teacher conversation explaining the topic in a relatable way.
Understanding 'This' and 'That'
Unlock Audio Lesson
Signup and Enroll to the course for listening the Audio Lesson
Today, we are going to learn about demonstratives. Can anyone tell me what 'this' refers to?
'This' refers to something that is close to me.
Exactly! You would say, 'This pen is mine.' Now, what about 'that'?
'That' is for something that is further away.
Correct! For instance, 'That tree is tall.' Remember, for *this*, think of items you can reach easily, like 'this book,' and for *that*, think of items that you can't easily touch, like 'that building.' Can anyone summarize this?
'This' is for us, and 'that' is for far away!
Excellent summary!
Diving into 'These' and 'Those'
Unlock Audio Lesson
Signup and Enroll to the course for listening the Audio Lesson
Now letβs shift our focus to the plural forms: 'these' and 'those.' When would you use 'these'?
'These' is for things that are near us, in plural!
Great! For example: 'These apples are fresh.' What about 'those'?
'Those' are for things that are further away and plural.
Right you are! Like, 'Those mountains are beautiful.' Can anyone give me an example with 'these'?
These shoes are new!
Perfect! You all are doing wonderfully!
Using Demonstratives in Sentences
Unlock Audio Lesson
Signup and Enroll to the course for listening the Audio Lesson
Letβs practice. Can someone use 'this' in a sentence?
This is my favorite shirt.
Excellent! How about using 'that'?
That was a great movie.
Good job! Now, who can use 'these' and 'those'?
These cookies look delicious.
Those mountains are my favorite!
Outstanding! Can someone summarize the difference between 'these' and 'those'?
'These' are close and plural, and 'those' are far and plural!
Spot on! You've all grasped demonstratives very well.
Introduction & Overview
Read a summary of the section's main ideas. Choose from Basic, Medium, or Detailed.
Quick Overview
Standard
In this section, we explore demonstrativesβ'this', 'that', 'these', and 'those'βwhich are crucial for referring to specific items based on their distance from the speaker. 'This' and 'these' denote proximity, while 'that' and 'those' indicate items further away, with singular and plural forms influencing their usage.
Detailed
Detailed Summary of Demonstratives
Demonstratives are critical parts of speech that point to specific nouns, and they can be categorized based on proximity and number. 'This' refers to a singular noun that is near the speaker (e.g., This book is interesting), while 'that' refers to a singular noun that is further away (e.g., That house is beautiful). In plural form, 'these' indicates items that are close (e.g., These flowers are lovely), and 'those' indicates items that are further away (e.g., Those birds are flying high). Understanding and using demonstratives correctly is essential for clear communication, as they help specify which nouns are being referenced in conversation.
Audio Book
Dive deep into the subject with an immersive audiobook experience.
Understanding Demonstratives
Unlock Audio Book
Signup and Enroll to the course for listening the Audio Book
Demonstratives (This, That, These, Those): Point out specific nouns. 'This' and 'these' refer to items close by, 'that' and 'those' refer to items further away.
Detailed Explanation
Demonstratives are words we use to indicate specific items or people in relation to the distance from the speaker. 'This' is used for singular nouns that are close, while 'These' is for plural nouns that are also nearby. On the other hand, 'That' is used for singular nouns that are farther away, and 'Those' refers to plural nouns that are at a distance. Understanding this helps us communicate more clearly about our surroundings.
Examples & Analogies
Imagine you are in a classroom. If you see a book in your hand, you would say, 'This book is interesting.' If your friend sits next to you with a stack of papers, you might say, 'These papers need to be graded.' However, if you see a book across the room on the shelf, you would say, 'That book looks old.' And if there is a group of students sitting far away, you could say, 'Those students are working on their projects.'
Usage of 'This' and 'These'
Unlock Audio Book
Signup and Enroll to the course for listening the Audio Book
β This book (singular, near) β These flowers (plural, near)
Detailed Explanation
'This' is used to talk about a singular noun that is close in distance to the speaker. For example, holding a book in your hand, you say, 'This book is mine.' On the other hand, 'these' is used when referring to plural nouns that are also near. For instance, if there are several flowers in front of you, you would say, 'These flowers are beautiful.' The key is to remember that 'this' is singular and 'these' is plural, and both refer to things that are nearby.
Examples & Analogies
Think of a person holding their favorite toy in their hand. They would say, 'This toy is my favorite.' Now, if they have several toys around them, they might say, 'These toys are all new.' This simple distinction of nearby singular and plural helps clarify communication.
Usage of 'That' and 'Those'
Unlock Audio Book
Signup and Enroll to the course for listening the Audio Book
β That house (singular, far) β Those birds (plural, far)
Detailed Explanation
'That' is used to refer to a singular noun that is further away from you. For example, if you point to a house in the distance, you might say, 'That house looks beautiful.' In contrast, 'those' refers to plural nouns that are also at a distance. If you see a group of birds in the sky, you would say, 'Those birds are flying south.' Remember, 'that' indicates a single distant item, while 'those' points out multiple distant items.
Examples & Analogies
Imagine you are with your friend in a park, and you see a large house far away. You might say, 'That house is big.' Now, if you notice a flock of birds sitting on a fence farther down the path, you could tell your friend, 'Those birds are singing beautifully.' This way, demonstratives help us specify what we are talking about, depending on how close or far things are.
Definitions & Key Concepts
Learn essential terms and foundational ideas that form the basis of the topic.
Key Concepts
-
Demonstratives: Words used to indicate specific nouns based on proximity.
-
'This' vs. 'That': 'This' is singular and refers to nearby items, whereas 'that' refers to distant items.
-
'These' vs. 'Those': 'These' is plural and refers to nearby items, while 'those' refers to distant plural items.
Examples & Real-Life Applications
See how the concepts apply in real-world scenarios to understand their practical implications.
Examples
-
'This book is interesting.'
-
'That car is fast.'
-
'These cupcakes are sweet.'
-
'Those trees are tall.'
Memory Aids
Use mnemonics, acronyms, or visual cues to help remember key information more easily.
π΅ Rhymes Time
-
'This is for whatβs near to me, thatβs for what I do not see.'
π Fascinating Stories
-
Imagine a family picnic where the father points to a sandwich in his hand and says, 'This is delicious!' while also indicating a distant tree saying, 'That is beautiful over there.'
π§ Other Memory Gems
-
Think of the phrase: 'This is near, that is far.'
π― Super Acronyms
Remember 'DT' for 'Distance Type'
- 'D' for 'This' and 'These' - nearby; 'T' for 'That' and 'Those' - away.
Flash Cards
Review key concepts with flashcards.
Glossary of Terms
Review the Definitions for terms.
-
Term: Demonstratives
Definition:
Words that specify nouns related to their distance from the speaker, including 'this,' 'that,' 'these,' and 'those.'
-
Term: Singular
Definition:
Referring to one item.
-
Term: Plural
Definition:
Referring to more than one item.