Demonstrative Adjectives

Demonstrative adjectives let you point with words. The four forms—this, that, these, those—tell your listener two things at once: whether the noun is singular or plural, and whether it is close to you or farther away. This cup is singular and near; those mountains are plural and distant. This dual information makes demonstrative adjectives indispensable for clear, specific communication, especially when gesture alone is not enough.

The system is compact but precise:

• this — singular, near the speaker (this book in my hand)
• that — singular, farther away (that building across the street)
• these — plural, near (these apples in this bowl)
• those — plural, distant (those stars in the sky)

A demonstrative adjective must always sit immediately before the noun it modifies, just like Attributive Adjectives. The same four words—this, that, these, those—can also function as demonstrative pronouns when they stand alone and replace the noun entirely. The distinction is easy to test: if the word is directly followed by a noun, it is an adjective (this car is fast); if it stands alone as the subject or object, it is a pronoun (this is fast). Native speakers make this switch effortlessly, but learners benefit from checking the position consciously.

Demonstrative adjectives also carry pragmatic force. Using that when referring to something visible but distant can signal mild detachment, while this creates immediacy and intimacy. In conversation, that idea may sound cooler or more dismissive than this idea, even when both refer to the same concept. Sensitivity to this nuance will make your English sound more natural and intentional.