Grammar · Lesson 4

this / that · these / those

Point at the world. Use this and that for one thing, these and those for more than one. What the speaker treats as near is this / these; what the speaker treats as farther away is that / those.

≈ 40–45 minnear / farone / more than onedistance + number

NoticePoint and compare four phrases.

DiscoverTwo questions: how many? how far?

BuildMatch, choose, and build chunks.

UsePoint, introduce, and describe.

Many nouns add -s for more than one: book → books, chair → chairs, key → keys. We use a few plurals here; the next lesson drills this fully.

Notice before the rule

Point and compare

this phone · that building · these keys · those people

Which two phrases mean one thing? Which two mean more than one?
Imagine the phone and keys are in your hand, and the building and people are across the street. Which words go with things near you?
So the choice depends on two things at once. What are they?

Discovery check: read the hint, then choose

The hint in brackets tells you the number and the distance

1 cup (one · near)

2 cars (more than one · far)

3 door (one · far)

4 notes (more than one · near)

The system: two simple questions

Before you choose, ask yourself two quick questions:

1. How many? One thing → this / that. More than one → these / those.

2. How far? Treated as near → this / these. Treated as farther away → that / those. The situation and gesture make the distance clear; there is no exact number of inches or feet.

	one (singular)	more than one (plural)
near you	this this chair	these these chairs
far from you	that that chair	those those chairs

Meaning check

Can we say these book? No. These / those mean more than one, so the noun is plural: these books.
Can we say this are? No. Use this is and that is for one thing. Use these are and those are for more than one thing.
Is that only about distance in space? Usually, but we also use that for something a step away in the conversation: That is a good idea.

Beyond physical distance

Introduce someone beside you: This is my manager, Elena.
In U.S. phone English, identify yourself with Hi, this is Ana. Ask the other caller Who’s this? or Is this Mr. Lopez?
Refer back to an idea in the conversation: That’s a good idea.

this is / these are

Match the verb be to the number, and keep these chunks together:

This is… · That is…
These are… · Those are…

We use them to introduce people, too: This is my manager, Elena. These are my coworkers.

Sound natural: hear the difference between all four words

All four words begin with the same voiced th sound. Put your tongue gently between your teeth and keep your voice on. The middle and final sounds show which word you mean.

word	sound clue	spoken chunk
this	short vowel; ends in s	this-is my PHONE
these	long “ee”; ends in z	these-are my KEYS
that	wide “a”; ends in t	that-is the DOOR
those	long “oh”; ends in z	those-are the OFFICES

Link the demonstrative to is or are, then make the noun clear. Do not pronounce this and these as the same word.

Listen: one or more than one?

Look away from the script. Your tutor reads each phrase. Say “one” or “more than one,” then repeat the complete phrase. Listen especially for the short vowel and final s in this versus the long “ee” and final z in these.

Drill 1: choose the demonstrative

is or are shows the number; the hint shows the distance

1 is my desk. (near)

2 are my coworkers. (near)

3 is your taxi. (far)

4 are the new offices. (far)

5 is my manager, Elena. (near)

6 are your seats, at the back. (far)

Build the meaning, then the sentence

Drill 2: match each word to its meaning

Tap a word, then tap the meaning that fits it

Drill 3: build the sentence

The keys are in your hand. Build the sentence, then say it.

Drill 4: point across the room

One office, far from you. Build the sentence.

Notice and repair errors

Drill 5: fix the verb

Tap the word that is wrong.

Drill 6: one thing or more than one?

Tap the word that does not match the noun. The car is near you.

Drill 7: change one thing, then say it

Say the new phrase aloud first. Reveal only after you answer.

1 this book → make it plural

these books

2 that office → make it plural

those offices

3 these chairs → make it singular

this chair

4 This is my pen. → move it far away

That is my pen.

5 Those are my friends. → bring them near

These are my friends.

Play and practice

Games and a short reading that recycle this lesson. Use them as a warm-up, a fast finisher, or homework. Each one checks itself.

Read

Your first day

Read once for meaning. Then read again and do the tasks below.

Office tour63 wordsAbout 1 min

Elena: Welcome, Sam! This is your desk, and these are your keys. This is your new laptop.

Sam: Thank you! Is that the kitchen, at the end of the hall?

Elena: Yes, it is. And those people by the window are the sales team.

Sam: Who is that man at the door?

Elena: That is Mr. Ruiz, our manager. Come and say hello!

Find it

Tap the 7 demonstratives: this, that, these, and those.

Check your understanding

1. Where is the kitchen?

2. Who are the people by the window?

3. Who is Mr. Ruiz?

Sort it

Number and distance

Ask: how many? how far? Tap a phrase, then tap the word you use for it. Press Check when the tray is empty.

Word search

Find the pointing words

Find the word for each clue. Words run across or down. Tap the first letter, then the last.

___ is my phone. (one · near) → ?
___ is your taxi. (one · far) → ?
___ are my keys. (more than one · near) → ?
___ are the new offices. (more than one · far) → ?
these ___ (chair, more than one) → ?
those ___ (person, more than one) → ?

Memory

One and more than one

Flip two cards. If they belong together, they stay. Find every pair in as few turns as you can.

Use it in real life

Point and name: Find four things: two near you and two across the room. Say a full sentence for each: This is a…, That is a…, These are…, Those are…

Introduce people: Introduce the people around you (real or invented). This is my colleague, Daniel. These are my friends from work.

On the phone: Practice the openings in U.S. English. Hello, this is Ana. Who’s this? Is this Mr. Lopez?

At the market: Point at near and far items and ask the price. How much is this? How much are those?

Information gap: Your teacher places one or more objects near or farther away without naming them. Guess: Is this a phone? Are those your keys? Continue until you identify the objects.

Success check

Choose from both number and distance, not only one cue.
Use a singular noun and is with this / that.
Use a plural noun and are with these / those.
Make this and these sound different when speaking.

Reflect

Explain the choice

Complete this aloud: “I use this and that for ______ thing. I use these and those for ______ things. Near me: ______ and ______. Far from me: ______ and ______.”

Then say one true sentence about something near you and one about something far from you right now.

Final quiz: number and distance together

1. (the phone in your hand) ___ is my phone.

2. (birds high in the sky) Look at ___ birds!

3. (an office at the end of the hall) ___ is the manager's office.

4. (cookies on the table in front of you) ___ cookies are delicious!

5. Which sentence is correct?

6. (on the phone, saying your name) Hello, ___ is Ana.

7. Which phrase means one car, near you?

8. (people waiting across the street) Are ___ your guests?

Next use: tomorrow, return to the five-minute retrieval check before you reread the number-and-distance table.

Next-day retrieval

Come back tomorrow. Use both the number and the distance cue before you choose.

Choose from memory

Tap each gap, then choose the demonstrative

1 is my laptop. (one · touching you)

2 chairs are available. (more than one · across the room)

3 documents are for you. (more than one · in your hand)

Repair from memory