Demonstrative Pronouns

Demonstrative Pronouns

A demonstrative pronoun is a pronoun that represents a noun and expresses its position as near or far (including in time). The demonstrative pronouns are "this," "that," "these," and "those."

Easy Examples of Demonstrative Pronouns

• 
  This is ludicrous.
  
• 
  Is that yours?
  
• 
  Eat these tonight.
  
• 
  Throw those away.
  

More about Demonstrative Pronouns
Like all pronouns, demonstrative pronouns replace nouns or noun phrases. More specifically, a demonstrative pronoun stands in for something that has been previously mentioned or is understood from context (called its antecedent).

• 
  Do you remember the lobster with the blue claw? Can I have that please?
  

(Here, "that" stands in for something previously mentioned. The antecedent of "that" is the noun phrase "the lobster with the blue claw.")

• 
  This is delicious.
  

(Here, the context tells us what "this" represents. The antecedent of "this" is "lobster" or "meal.")

• 
  Do you remember the two lobsters holding claws? Can I have those please?
  

(The antecedent of "those" is shown in bold.)

• 
  These are delicious.
  

(Remember that, with demonstrative pronouns, the antecedent does not always appear in nearby text. The antecedent is often understood from the context of the speaker's surroundings.)
The singular demonstrative pronouns "this" and "that" stand in for singular things (e.g., "the lobster with the blue claw"). The plural demonstrative pronouns "these" and "those" stand in for plural things (e.g., "the two lobsters holding claws").

As well as telling us whether its antecedent is singular or plural, a demonstrative pronoun also tell us whether its antecedent is near or distant. "That" and "those" stand in for distant things (e.g., "the lobsters in the tank"). "This" and "these" stand in for near things (e.g., "the lobsters on the plate").

• 
  Paint this but not that. Remove these but not those.
  

(Demonstrative pronouns are pretty efficient. They tell us what, how many, and where. These two short sentences convey the following information: "Paint the nearby wall I'm pointing to but not the distant wall I'm pointing to. Remove the picture hooks I'm pointing to but not those distant picture hooks I'm pointing to.")
Remember that demonstrative pronouns stand in for things. (Typically, they stand in for a noun phrase or a previously expressed idea.) Demonstrative pronouns do not modify nouns. When "this," "that," "these," and "those" modify nouns, they are demonstrative determiners (called demonstrative adjectives in traditional grammar). In the four examples below, we have demonstrative determiners modifying nouns (shown in bold). In the first four examples above, the demonstrative pronouns stood in for these nouns.

• 
  This idea is ludicrous.
  
• 
  Is that bike yours?
  
• 
  Eat these crumpets tonight.
  
• 
  Throw those rolls away.