The Demonstrative Adjective

The Demonstrative Adjective

The demonstrative adjectives (this, that, these, those) “modify” the noun in a sentence at the same time that they indicate the nearness or distance of the noun in reference to the point of view of the person who is talking or writing.

They are adjectives because they tell us something more about a noun. They are demonstrative because they indicate or point out something. For example:

I like this cake here. I don’t like that cake over there.

The word “this” points out something or somebody that is nearby. For example, This shirt that I am wearing is too big.

The word “that” indicates something that is farther away. For example, That shirt hanging in the closet is too small.

It is the same with the word “these” to point out several things that are close, and “those” for other things are not so close. For example, These drawings you are looking at are his favorites. Those on the wall did not turn out so well.

Demonstrative Adjectives make no change for Male or Female nouns

NEAR

This man

These men

This woman

These women

FAR

That girl

Those boys

That boy

Those girls

Here’s some good news for your writing!

In English, the same word is used for the Demonstrative Adjective and the Demonstrative Pronoun.

Therefore the word, this (singular) indicates closeness. It could be an adjective: This boy here is my son. or it could be a pronoun: I like this.

The word, that (singular) indicates distance. It can be an adjective: That boy over there is my nephew. or a pronoun: I don’t like that..

The word, these (plural) indicates closeness. It could be an adjective: These pies here are my favorites. or a pronoun: I like these..

The word, those (plural) indicates distance. It could be an adjective: Those cakes over there are made of chocolate. or a pronoun: I prefer those..

Remember that the demonstrative adjectives and pronouns only change to indicate whether it is a question of one thing or person or of more than one. They do not change for the gender of the person pointed out.

Demonstrative Adjective Exercise

Insert the proper demonstrative adjective. Choose among that, these, this, those.

1. I can’t finish _______ pie. Would you like some?
2. Hello, _______ is Raúl speaking. Hello. How are you, Raúl? _____ is Ahmed.
3. Hey, Jill, is _______ your ring? I’ve just found it on the floor.
4. Look at _______ woman over there. She’s a Spanish teacher
5. Jane painted _______ oil painting and also ________ watercolor.
6. Look at _______ paintings over there. What fabulous colors!
7. Don’t take _______ mug from the shelf, it’s broken. Take _____ one.
8. Listen! _______ awful dog next door is barking again.
9. His uncle, who lived in the old country, told him that in _______ days they didn’t have enough food.
10. _______ mountains in the distance are the Alps.
11. Mmm. I love _______ pancakes. They’re home-made, aren’t they?
12. _______ is my house; _______ one is my sister’s.
13. Jones and Pérez are very rich. _______ is their expensive car over there. I am very poor. _____ is my Civic.
14. _______ are my friends in this room; _________ people over there are from Boston.
15. _______ are beautiful flowers in the next field.
16. _______ pair of shoes is similar to mine.
17. ______ mannequins over there look real.
18. _____ shoes fit my feet well.
19. There are problems with the ______ research paper.
20. ______ paintings in that room are beautiful.
21. ______ haunted houses were scary.
22. ______ comedians kept us laughing all night.
23. You must have been joking about_____ new idea of yours.
24. _____ classrooms are full of tiny desks.

…

Answers: Demonstrative Adjective Exercise:

1. I can’t finish this pie. Would you like some?
2. Hello, this is Raúl speaking. Hello. How are you, Raúl? This is Ahmed.
3. Hey, Jill, is this your ring? I’ve just found it on the floor.
4. Look at that woman over there. She’s a Spanish teacher
5. Jane painted that oil painting on the wall and also take a look at this watercolor.
6. Look at that painting over there. What fabulous colors!
7. Don’t take that mug from the shelf, it’s broken. Take this one.
8. Listen! that awful dog next door is barking again.
9. His uncle, who fought in World War II, told him that in those days they didn’t have enough food.
10. Those mountains in the distance are the Alps.
11. Mmm. I love these pancakes. They’re homemade, aren’t they?
12. This is my house; that one is my sister’s.
13. Jones and Pérez are rich. That is their BMW over there. I am poor. this is my Civic.
14. These are my friends in this room; those_ people over there are from Boston.
15. Those are beautiful flowers in the next field.
16. That pair of shoes is similar to mine.
17. Those mannequins over there look real.
18. These shoes fit my feet well.
19. There are problems with this research paper.
20. Those paintings in that room are beautiful. I like them more than these.
21. Those haunted houses were scary.
22. Those comedians kept us laughing all night.
23. You must have been joking about that new idea of yours.
24. These classrooms are full of tiny desks.

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