This, that, these, those

This (singular)

We use it when talking about a person/ thing which is near. We can touch it.

It often appears in a sentence with ‚here/over here‘.

Examples:

‚This pen over here is my father’s favourite.‘ (I’m holding the pen)

‚This is Patrick, my boyfriend.‘ (He’s standing next to the person speaking)

‚This is Jake and this is Carla.‘ (introducing somebody)

That (singular)

We use it when pointing or looking at something in the distance. You can’t reach it.

It often goes with ‚there/over there‘.

Examples:

‚That man over there looks like a famous actor.‘ (the speaker is pointing at something)

‚That car in the car park is stolen.‘ (talking about something not reachable physically)

‚Can you see that girl in the window? That’s my ex-girlfriend Petra.‘

‚I want to talk to you about that argument you had with our supervisor. ‚

These (plural)

Same use as ‚this‘ but for 2 and more subjects.

Examples:

‚These kids over here are my new students.‘ (the kids are standing next to me)

‚These keys I’m holding are from our new flat!‘

‚I don’t like these biscuits. I won’t eat them!‘ (the biscuits are on a plate in front of me)

‚Would you like to try one of these instead?‘ (the speaker is holding a plate of ……)

Those (plural)

Same use as ‚that‘ but for 2 and more subjects.

Examples:

‚Those people, you can see over there, are our new colleagues. Please be nice to them!‘ (the new staffers can’t hear me, they are too far.)

‚Those prawns you bought yesterday were awful! I threw them away.‘ (the prawns are gone)

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