Demonstrative adjectives in English are this, that, these, and those. They designate a specific noun and establish distance from the speaker. This and these imply proximity, while that and those imply distance. Improper use of demonstrative pronouns can create confusion.
In the English language there are four words that can be used as demonstrative determiners, better known as demonstrative adjectives or demonstrative pronouns depending on their purpose in a sentence. The four most common demonstrative adjectives in English are this, that, these, and those. This and that refer to singular nouns, while these and those refer to plural nouns.
What demonstrative adjectives do is designate a specific noun as opposed to a general noun preceded by a, an or: “I want THAT pair of pants”, “THIS shirt is not clean”, “THOSE shoes don’t match”, “THESE towels smell funny.” The reader should understand exactly which element the speaker is referring to in each sentence. Sometimes it helps to form a mental picture of the speaker physically indicating, or demonstrating, the specific noun in question.
Another function performed by demonstrative adjectives is to establish the distance from the speaker. The demonstrative adjectives this and these imply that the object is relatively close to the speaker. When a person writes “I want THIS box moved to another room,” for example, the reader should get the impression that the box is physically next to the speaker. If a sentence says “I want THESE things gone when I get back,” the reader should realize that the objects are relatively close together. The singular this and the plural these both indicate close proximity.
The demonstrative adjectives that and those, on the other hand, imply a certain distance from the speaker. One sentence might read “THOSE clock needs to be adjusted” or “THOSE clothes need to be folded and put away”. A reader should be able to add the words down there when he reads a sentence that contains that or those. At one point in history there were also two other demonstrative adjectives in common use; there and there. Yon and there, which have largely fallen out of popular usage, implied even greater physical distance between the speaker and objects: “Dog sleeps in YON shed” or “Workers are repairing YONDER shed.”
Whenever demonstrative adjectives are used by themselves in place of a proper noun, they are considered demonstrative pronouns. A sentence containing a demonstrative pronoun might read “THIS is the kind of place many people dream of visiting” or “THESE are the times that try the souls of men.” The speaker could have used this or these as demonstrative adjectives, as in “THESE times try the souls of men.” but the reader should understand the implied reference. However, the improper use of a demonstrative pronoun can create confusion or ambiguity: “The man slipped on a banana peel and a policeman ran to help him. THIS made all the kids laugh.” The demonstrative pronoun this could refer to both the man and the police officer’s actions, which makes the sentence confusing for the reader. Demonstrative adjectives should only be used as demonstrative pronouns as long as the reference is clear and unambiguous.
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