This / That / These / Those for beginners
A1Use this, that, these, and those to point to people or things near or far, singular or plural. Practice with 4 graded exercises.
Exercise 1 (Easy): Choose this, that, these, or those
Choose the correct word: this, that, these, or those.
Exercises:
1
___ book on my desk is very interesting.
2
___ girl over there is my cousin.
3
___ shoes next to my chair are new.
4
___ houses across the street are very old.
5
___ sandwich in my hand is for you.
6
___ car near the bus stop is my dad's.
7
___ apples on the table are fresh.
8
___ mountains in the distance look beautiful.
9
___ pen here is not working.
10
___ people at the end of the street are waiting for the bus.
This / That / These / Those
Point to people or things near or far, singular or plural.
👆THIS
NEAR+SINGULAR
✅
This apple is sweet.
✅
This is my friend.
👉THAT
FAR+SINGULAR
✅
That car is fast.
✅
What is that?
☝️THESE
NEAR+PLURAL
✅
These books are mine.
✅
These are my keys.
🫳THOSE
FAR+PLURAL
✅
Those birds are loud.
✅
Who are those people?
!
Distance × Number in one 2×2 table
| NEAR | FAR | |
|---|---|---|
| Singular | this | that |
| Plural | these | those |
!
Used as adjectives AND pronouns
As adjective (before noun)
✅
This book is mine.
✅
These shoes are new.
As pronoun (alone)
✅
This is my book.
✅
These are my shoes.
Wrong
❌
These is my keys.
❌
This are my friends.
❌
Those chair is comfortable.
Correct
✅
These are my keys.
✅
These are my friends.
✅
That chair is comfortable.
⚠ Key point: Use "This is" / "That is" for introductions: "This is my friend Tom." Never "These is" or "Those is", because those two are always wrong.