The “demonstrative”, which takes its origins from the word “demonstrate”, and means to indicate something by showing gestures, is a type of token that is used to show and explain the subject. The demonstratives are “this, that, these, those” that we know very well.
When Used as an Adjective
When our unique “demonstratives” quartet is used as adjectives, they’re really just used as adjectives. In other words, we can do what we do with an adjective: we immediately form an adjective phrase by placing one of our quartets in front of the noun.
Examples:
- This cat is so cute.
- I want to buy that car over there.
- These flowers look beautiful.
- Those people standing over there are waiting for the magic show.
When Used as Pronouns
Our “demonstratives” quartet is also used as pronouns. They are used in the same way as a normal pronoun replaces another noun. Unlike adjectives, our demonstrative pronouns, which do not take a noun immediately after them, can do the task you want in the sentence.
Examples:
- I understand why this means a lot to you.
- Do you know what that is? It looks like a sea creature.
- This is bad news! I failed the exam.
- Those were the days we had real fun.
We have 4 demonstratives in total, but they are each used in different situations. Although they are separated quite easily, the subject is very simple, you can draw attention when you make a mistake on this subject, be careful!
This ⇒ close and singular
These ⇒ soon and plural
That ⇒ far and singular
Those ⇒ far and plural
