Demonstrative Adjectives: The English Language is made of a diverse range of components. These components equip people speaking or writing the English language with skills to construct sentences based on the laws of English grammar successfully. One of these components is known as Demonstratives.
Demonstratives are a type of grammar tool that helps us to indicate the distance between the speaker and the said event, object, or person is situated. In simple words, Demonstratives are utilized to stipulate the reach of anything in space or time in reference to the speaker.
Demonstratives can refer to both psychological and physical contiguity or distance. Events occurring near the speaker and far away from the speaker can both be indicated with the aid of demonstratives.
In this article, we will discuss Demonstrative Adjectives, their types, and uses with suitable examples.
Demonstrative Adjectives
- What are Demonstrative Adjectives?
- How to use Demonstrative Adjectives?
- Some common examples of Demonstrative Adjectives
- Using Numbers as Demonstrative Adjectives
- A Recap of the points mentioned above
What are Demonstrative Adjectives?
In the wide niche of English grammar, demonstrative adjectives are used to modify nouns or pronouns in any given sentence. Demonstrative adjectives highlight the importance of the noun or pronoun in a sentence.
A demonstrative adjective is usually placed before the noun or pronoun used in a sentence to indicate the noun or pronoun it is modifying. One can select demonstrative adjectives by carefully observing the location or distance of the object, person, or event from the speaker.
The Types of Demonstrative Adjectives
The special type of adjective used as a determiner in a sentence following the English grammar rules, which modify the noun or pronoun to identify the speaker’s distance from it, is termed demonstrative adjectives. They are of four types ‘This,’ ‘That,’ ‘These,’ and “Those.’ They are explained below in great detail:
- Demonstrative Adjective ‘This’: ‘This’ Demonstrative Adjective is used in places identifying the object, event, or person (noun or pronoun) in close association with the speaker.
- Demonstrative Adjective ‘These’: ‘These’ Demonstrative Adjective is also used in places identifying the object, event, or person (noun or pronoun) in close association with the speaker. The only difference between ‘This’ and ‘These’ is that ‘These’ is the plural form of ‘This.’
- Demonstrative Adjective ‘That’: ‘That’ Demonstrative Adjective is used in places identifying the object, event, or person (noun or pronoun) at a distance from the speaker.
- Demonstrative Adjective ‘Those’: ‘Those’ Demonstrative Adjective is also used in places identifying the object, event, or person (noun or pronoun) at a distance from the speaker. The only difference between ‘That’ and ‘Those’ is that ‘Those’ is the plural form of ‘That.’
How to use Demonstrative Adjectives?
The process of using Demonstrative Adjectives is explained below:
Near Group
The Demonstrative Adjectives used to identify the events, objects, or person near the speaker are termed as ‘Near’ Demonstrative Adjectives. This group consists of ‘This’ and ‘These.’
- Use of ‘This’: For a person, an event that is nearby or current.
Example: ‘This’ is my laptop.
- Use of ‘These’: Plural form for a person, an event that is nearby or current.
Example: ‘These’ are my shoes.
Far Group
The Demonstrative Adjectives used to identify the events, objects, or person far away from the speaker are termed ‘Far’ Demonstrative Adjectives. This group consists of ‘That’ and ‘Those.’
- Use of ‘That’: For a person, an event that is far away or past.
Example: ‘That’ is my house, at the end of the street.
- Use of ‘Those’: Plural form for a person, an event that is past or further away.
Example: ‘Those’ are not my clothes.
Some Common Examples of Demonstrative Adjectives
‘This’ Examples
- This cup of coffee is for grandpa.
- This dress is not as pretty.
- This is my older sister.
- This is not how you solve the problem.
‘These’ Examples
- These notebooks belong to me.
- These are supplies for setting up a tent.
- These questions are set to test your knowledge.
- I’ll purchase these two.
‘That’ Examples
- That car is parked on the wrong side.
- That is my mother’s picture.
- That cable should work.
- Was that your father or uncle?
‘Those’ Examples
- Those days were happy.
- Those lyrics remind me of you.
- Those students aren’t from our school.
- I’d like to take those instead of ‘these.’
Using numbers as Demonstrative Adjectives
Ordinal numbers like third, fourth, or fifth can be used as demonstrative adjectives.
- The first examination was on Thursday.
- The fifth day of the week is here.
- In the early nineteenth century, poetry initiated a popular literary movement.
- After finishing my third slice of pizza, I couldn’t move for five minutes.
- For her seventh birthday dinner, we ordered my cousin a huge stuffed teddy bear.
Cardinal numbers such as two, six, nine, however, are not counted as demonstrative adjectives.
A Recap of the points mentioned above
- A demonstrative is a Grammar form that denotes a specific noun or pronoun it modifies. It helps us to define our focus by the identification of an item, event, or person; we want to emphasize.
- Demonstrative Adjectives help us indicate a noun or pronoun concerning the distance between the speaker and the object, event, or person.
- Demonstrative Adjectives are of four types, ‘This,’ ‘These,’ ‘That,’ and ‘Those.’
- ‘This’ is for any person, object, or an event that is nearby or current concerning the speaker.
- ‘These’ is the plural form for a person, object, or an event that is nearby or current concerning the speaker.
- ‘That’ is for a person, object, or an event that is far away or past concerning the speaker.
- ‘Those’ is the plural form for a person, object, or an event that is past or further away concerning the speaker.
- Ordinal numbers like third, fourth, or fifth can be used as demonstrative adjectives.
- Cardinal numbers such as two, six, nine, however, are not counted as demonstrative adjectives.