A1 · Grammar
This, that, these and those
After this page you can point to things near you and far from you with this, that, these and those, introduce people and say your name on the phone.
Rules
1.
One thing: this (near) · that (far)
- This coffee is very hot.
- Is that your bus over there?
- This chair is free, but that chair is broken.
Use this for one thing near you. Use that for one thing far from you. The noun after it is singular.
Near or far?
- near you, here: this phone, this room, this street
- far from you, there: that house, that man, that car
Words like here and over there help: this cup here, that shop over there.
here + one thing → this · there + one thing → that
this and that + singular noun + is: This room is big.
2.
More things: these (near) · those (far)
- These apples are from Kent.
- Those people over there are my colleagues.
- Are these keys for the flat?
- Those buses go to the airport.
In the plural, this becomes these and that becomes those. The noun is plural too, and the verb is are.
Singular → plural
- this key is → these keys are
- that child is → those children are
this → these · that → those
these and those + plural noun + are: These shoes are new.
3.
this, that, these, those without a noun
- What's this? – It's a ticket for the concert.
- That's a good idea!
- Are these for me? – Yes, they're for you.
- Those are nice. How much are they?
You can use these four words alone, without a noun. You do this when the thing is clear: you can see it or point at it.
Questions and answers
- What's this? What's that? → It's a …
- What are these? What are those? → They're …
In the answer, use it for one thing and they for more things.
that is → that's. this is has no short form.
What's that? – It's … · What are those? – They're …
4.
This is … for people and on the phone
- Ben, this is Priya. She's my new colleague.
- These are my parents, Olga and Ivan.
- Hello, this is Marek. Can I speak to Lucy, please?
To introduce a person, say This is + name. For two or more people, say These are … On the phone, say this is + your name.
Who is it?
- one person: Anna, this is Tom.
- two or more people: These are my friends Sofia and Ahmed.
- on the phone, you: Hello, this is Anna. or Hi, it's Anna.
- on the phone, the other person: Is that Tom?
Introduce: This is Ben. · These are my parents.
On the phone: this = me · that = the other person.
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