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This, these, that, and those
This and these are used to point to something near you. For a singular thing, use this . For a plural thing, use these .
- I like this phone a lot. (when you’re holding the phone in your hand or pointing to it nearby)
- Do you like these shoes? (when you’re wearing the shoes or pointing to them nearby)
- I read this already. (when you're holding a book in your hand or pointing to it nearby)
That and those are used to point to something further away. For a singular thing, use that . For a plural thing, use those .
- That café looks good. (when you are looking at the café but you’re not in it or right in front of it)
- Those are my keys. (when you see the keys but they are not in your hand or very near you)
This, these, that, and those are also used to refer to ideas and events. If it is in the present, use this or these . If it was said or it happened in the past, use that or those .
- This is the best concert I’ve ever been to. (when the concert is still going on)
- These two people are my neighbors, Paul and Carol.
- That was a great concert. (when the concert is over)
- Those were the best days of my life.
I hope this is helpful.
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This vs These: What's the Difference?
Hannah Yang
Speculative Fiction Author
This and these are demonstratives, which means they indicate a specific noun in a sentence. They’re both important words in the English language.
Many people mix up this and these because they both refer to nouns that are near in space and time.
So what exactly is the difference between this vs these ?
The short answer is that this is used with singular or uncountable nouns (e.g. this egg), while these refers to plural nouns (e.g. these cookies).
This article will explain the difference between this vs these and help you remember how to use these words correctly in your writing.
Quick Definition and Meaning of “This”
Quick definition and meaning of “these”, what’s the difference between this and these, conclusion on this vs these.
This refers to a singular noun that is near in time or space, such as a lamp or a desk .
If you say “I know this song,” for example, you’re most likely talking about the song that’s currently playing within earshot.
We also use this for uncountable nouns that we treat as singular, such as water , sugar , or happiness . For example, you might say “ This water tastes funny” to talk about the water you’re currently drinking.
This is often used with words describing time, such as morning , week , and year . When used with these words, this can be used to talk about time in the present or in the near past or near present. For example, you could use the phrase “ this afternoon” to refer to the afternoon of the present day.
It’s also important to remember that when the noun is omitted after this , it becomes a singular pronoun. If you say “I enjoyed eating this ,” the word this refers to whatever singular dish you just ate.
These also refers to nouns that are near in time or space, but it is used for plural countable nouns. The noun that follows these must always be plural.
If you say “I don’t know any of these people,” you’re referring to more than one person, all of whom are near in time or space.
Just like this , these can be used as a plural pronoun if you omit the noun afterwards. If you say “Wow, I like these ,” the word these most likely refers to whatever plural noun you’re referring to in the present moment.
The main difference between this and these is that this is used to refer to singular and uncountable nouns, while these is used to refer to plural countable nouns.
You would say “ this necklace” to refer to a single necklace, and “ these necklaces” to refer to multiple necklaces. It would be incorrect to say “ these necklace” or “ this necklaces.”
Let’s take a look at some more examples of how to use this and these in a sentence.
Examples of These in a Sentence
Here are some examples of these used to refer to a plural countable noun:
- Where did these papers come from?
- Let me hand you these boxes.
- These musicians are talented.
- These shoes are really beautiful.
Here are some examples of these used as demonstrative pronouns, with the noun omitted:
- These are organic.
- Let me give you these .
- What are these ?
- I don’t want any of these .
One of the best ways to learn a word is to see examples from literature in the real world. Here are some examples of these from popular English books:
- “Some of these women have had so much work done their words come out all mushy because they can’t move their lips.”—Maggie Shipstead, Great Circle
- “The long route took us through all these old neighborhoods and shopping streets and finally past a tiny little temple in the middle of a bunch of ugly concrete office buildings.”— A Tale for the Time Being
- “But these days, inside my closet, poetry is as real to me as an ax. I need it more than food.”—Amity Gaige, Sea Wife
- “But the nostalgia didn’t hit. These weren’t my memories.”—Ottessa Moshfegh, My Year of Rest and Relaxation
- “Places like these were already suffocating. It did naught to add more weight upon the pillow pressed to their faces.”—Chloe Gong, These Violet Delights
- “These are the times that try men’s souls.”—Thomas Paine, The American Crisis
Examples of This in a Sentence
Here are some examples of this used to refer to a singular noun or uncountable noun:
- This cupcake is delicious. (singular noun)
- I told my parents that I want this necklace for Christmas. (singular noun)
- What is this music you’re listening to? (uncountable noun)
- Get a grip on all this anger. (uncountable noun)
Here are some examples of this used to talk about time:
- My friends called me this morning. (near past)
- What’s for dinner this evening? (near future)
- I had three cancellations this week. (present)
- This year has been difficult for my family. (present)
Here are some examples of this used as demonstrative pronouns, with the noun omitted:
- Don’t forget to turn this off when you leave.
- Can you please heat this on the stove over a low flame?
- This is delicious!
I like this .
Finally, here are some examples of this from popular English books:
“ This morning I had poison for breakfast.”—Lemony Snicket, Poison for Breakfast
- “She stared at him as though he were another architectural marvel of this strange new world.”—Shelley Parker-Chan, She Who Became the Sun
- “Was I alive? I hoped so, but only because if this was the location of the afterlife, I’d be lodging an appeal immediately.”—Gail Honeyman, Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine
- “The kids stared at me, awestruck. Why had their parents not explained this to them? Probably because they didn’t understand it themselves.”—Andy Weir, Project Hail Mary
- “ This is my first experience of a heartfelt apology from Marcus, and so far it has involved six clichés, two butchered literary references and no eye contact.”—Beth O’Leary, The Road Trip
There you have it—a complete guide to this vs these . Here’s a quick recap:
- Use this to refer to singular nouns that are near in time and space
- Use these to refer to plural nouns that are near in time and space
- Both this and these can be used as pronouns if you omit the noun afterwards
If you’re worried about mixing up this and these , you can always run your work through ProWritingAid, which will show you which one is correct. Our grammar checker will point out confused words and misspellings .
We hope this article helped you learn the difference between these two words!
Hannah is a speculative fiction writer who loves all things strange and surreal. She holds a BA from Yale University and lives in Colorado. When she’s not busy writing, you can find her painting watercolors, playing her ukulele, or hiking in the Rockies. Follow her work on hannahyang.com or on Twitter at @hannahxyang.
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Meaning of these in English
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- I found these photos while I was cleaning out my cupboards .
- Is there any significant difference in quality between these two items ?
- What are these toys doing here ?
- The ancient Britons inhabited these parts of England before the Roman invasion .
- Do you think this jacket looks a bit funny with these pants ?
- aforementioned
- allude to someone / something
- allusiveness
- as for someone/something idiom
- bandy something around
- direct speech
- indirect speech
- quote ... unquote idiom
- refer to someone/something
You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
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these | Intermediate English
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the shape of part of a circle, or other curved line
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These Definition
Plural form of this.
These Sentence Examples
You'll have to show me these beautiful flowers.
How long would these mind games go on?
These are my other two daughters, Dulce and Alondra.
I'm talking about the safety of these people.
How's your mother doing these days?
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Difference Between THIS and THESE
• Categorized under Grammar , Language | Difference Between THIS and THESE
This is used to describe a singular countable noun and these is used with plural countable nouns. A countable noun has a plural form such as books, girls, boys, toys, etc. For example we say a book but six books or many books or some books or a few books. A non-countable noun has no plural form. To illustrate the use of the words “this” and “these”, consider the following sentences.
- This book is very interesting.
- These books belong to the public library.
- This glass is broken.
- These glasses need to be washed.
- We bought this car about three years ago.
- These cars will need to be serviced.
- I would like to buy this mobile phone.
- None of these mobile phones have the functions I am looking for.
- This bed has been untidily made.
- These beds are badly made.
Non-countable nouns such as tea, sugar, water, air, rice, anger, fear, money, salary, research, love etc. have no plural form and therefore are qualified with the word “ this ”. See the examples below.
- This type of anger is totally unjustified.
- This money belongs to my father.
- I find this salary too small to manage a decent living.
- This tea has no sugar in it.
- This coffee tastes better with cream.
- This rice is undercooked.
- You must overcome this unreasonable fear of cockroaches.
- This deep love you show your dog makes me jealous.
- Will this research that you do benefit mankind?
- This audience is very receptive to the concert.
“ This ” and “ these ” can be used to introduce people.
- Hello John, this is my father and this is my mother.
- These are my parents.
- These are my friends, Sally and Polly.
- Hello, this is Mary speaking. May I speak to Maria?
- These young men were in school with me.
- This is my husband Richard.
- These are my children, George and Ralph.
- This is the telephone company calling to see if your bill has been paid.
We also use this and these to show proximity as opposed to that and those . We use this and these for people or things near us, This points to something nearby, while that points to something “over there.”
- This restaurant is better than that down the road.
- This shop has better clothes than that shop next door.
- These shoes are more comfortable than those under the bed.
- I prefer these pink candles to those green ones.
- This school is better than that chosen by your parents.
- This food is better than that cooked by my mother.
- These flowers look fresher than those in the vase.
- These young singers are better than those of the church choir.
- This desk is hers while that desk is mine.
- Those trees are elms but these are oaks.
This and these can be used as pronouns as well. For instance,
- This is mine. That over there is yours.
- These are old shoes. Those there are newer.
- This is the result of your stupidity.
- These are the sins of our forefathers.
- This helps in learning English.
- These are insincere words spoken without any feeling.
- This is my last visit to Europe.
- These small issues are not worth wasting time over.
In conclusion remember that this is used with singular nouns and these is used with plural nouns. This and these refer to something near you, while that and those refer to something farther away.
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Cite APA 7 Dixit, G. (2016, June 8). Difference Between THIS and THESE. Difference Between Similar Terms and Objects. http://www.differencebetween.net/language/difference-between-this-and-these/. MLA 8 Dixit, Gouri. "Difference Between THIS and THESE." Difference Between Similar Terms and Objects, 8 June, 2016, http://www.differencebetween.net/language/difference-between-this-and-these/.
14 Comments
Which is correct This boy and girl or These boy and girl?
These boy and girl
I enjoyed the tutorial
This boy and girl
Please let me know which of the following is correct?
A: 1) This is Peter and John. 2) These are Peter and John.
B: 1) Here is Peter and John. 2) Here are Peter and John.
This is Peter and this is John These are my friends, Peter and John
For most up-to-date news you have to go to see web and on internet I found this web site as a most excellent site for latest updates.
which is correct? happy birthday to these beautiful girls(cause they are twins) or happy birthday to this beautiful girls
Which are correct? “This people” or “These people”
I enjoy the lecture, whaooh me. Learning everyday.
Which is right? This kind of songs These kind of songs
love your lecture
This was a great lession.
i really learnt alot i love ur work
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IMAGES
VIDEO
COMMENTS
This and these are used to point to something near you. For a singular thing, use this. For a plural thing, use these. Examples: I like this phone a l.
Examples of This in a Sentence · My friends called me this morning. (near past) · What's for dinner this evening? (near future) · I had three
or these to refer to people or things that are very near to you. For example, if you are holding a book, you refer to it as `this book'. ; when you are
You use these to refer to people or things that are near you, especially when you touch them or point to them. These scissors are awfully heavy. 6. determiner.
This, that, these and those are demonstratives. We use this, that, these and those to point to people and things. This and that are singular.
these meaning: 1. plural of this 2. plural of this 3. pl of this . Learn more.
Full Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLALQuK1NDrhq44LEu1DyBEJdGXR7JUne--Watch more Grammar Lessons videos:
... pronouns This, That, These and Those – English Grammar lessonTake the quiz : http://www.learnex.in/using-the-pronouns-this-that-these-.
These Sentence Examples · You'll have to show me these beautiful flowers. · How long would these mind games go on? · These are my other two daughters, Dulce and
This is used to describe a singular countable noun and these is used with plural countable nouns. A countable noun has a plural form such as books, girls