What Are Demonstrative Adjectives?
In the English language, there are four words which 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.
In the English language, there are four words which 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 prefaced with a, an or the: “I want THAT pair of pants,” “THIS shirt is not clean,” “THOSE shoes do not match,” “THESE towels smell funny.” The reader should understand exactly which item the speaker is referring to in each sentence. Sometimes it helps to form a mental image of the speaker physically pointing out, or demonstrating, the specific noun in question.
