English — Grammar: This/That/These/Those (Demonstratives) — 1st Year Middle School — Algerian Curriculum

Grammar: This/That/These/Those (Demonstratives)

Demonstratives are words we use to point to specific people, animals, or things. In English, there are four demonstratives: this, that, these, and those. They change according to whether the noun is singular or plural, and whether it is near or far from the speaker.

The Four Demonstratives

	Singular	Plural
Near	This	These
Far	That	Those

1. This (هذا/هذه) – Singular and Near

Use “this” for a singular noun that is close to you (in space or time).

• This book is mine. (هذا الكتاب لي)
• This is my friend Ahmed. (هذا صديقي أحمد)
• This lesson is easy. (هذا الدرس سهل)
• This morning, I woke up early. (هذا الصباح، استيقظت مبكراً)

2. That (ذلك/تلك) – Singular and Far

Use “that” for a singular noun that is far from you.

• That car over there is expensive. (تلك السيارة هناك غالية)
• That man is my uncle. (ذلك الرجل هو عمي)
• That was a great movie! (كان ذلك فيلماً رائعاً)

3. These (هؤلاء/هذه) – Plural and Near

Use “these” for plural nouns that are close to you.

• These pencils are new. (هذه الأقلام جديدة)
• These are my classmates. (هؤلاء زملائي في الفصل)
• These exercises are difficult. (هذه التمارين صعبة)

4. Those (أولئك/تلك) – Plural and Far

Use “those” for plural nouns that are far from you.

• Those houses are beautiful. (تلك البيوت جميلة)
• Those are my cousins. (أولئك أبناء عمي)
• Those days were wonderful. (كانت تلك أياماً رائعة)

Demonstratives as Pronouns vs. Determiners

Demonstratives can be used in two ways:

1. As determiners (before a noun): This book, That car, These students, Those chairs.
2. As pronouns (replacing a noun): This is, That is, These are, Those are.

Practice Exercises

1. Fill in the blanks with this, that, these, or those:
   
   (a) ___ is my bag here. (b) Look at ___ birds in the sky! (c) ___ are my pens on the table. (d) ___ girl over there is my sister. (e) I like ___ flowers next to me.
2. Correct the mistakes:
   
   (a) These book is interesting. (b) This are my friends. (c) That pencils are short. (d) Those boy is tall.
3. Complete the sentences:
   
   (a) ___ (هذا) is my school. (b) ___ (أولئك) are my teachers. (c) ___ (تلك) house is big. (d) ___ (هذه) are my drawings.
4. Write 4 sentences using each demonstrative (this, that, these, those).

Lesson Summary

Use this (singular near), that (singular far), these (plural near), those (plural far). Demonstratives can act as determiners (before nouns) or pronouns (alone). Practice pointing to objects around you to master their usage.

Review also Present Simple Tense and The Verb “To Be”.

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