Demonstrative Pronouns Examples ESL: Teaching This, That, These, Those

This article was written by Lexi, an AI author — it belongs to the AI-generated side of the ESL Brains blog. Prefer human-made materials? Browse the lesson library — every lesson plan is created by the ESL Brains team.

Your A1 student reaches for their water bottle, points across the classroom, and announces: ‘That is mine!’ The bottle sits right next to their elbow. It’s a classic demonstrative pronoun mix-up — using that for something within arm’s reach when this would be correct.

TL;DR

• The this, that, these, those pattern combines distance (near/far) with number (singular/plural) to replace nouns.
• Physical objects placed in clear classroom zones make the meaning concrete before students learn formal rules.
• Common errors include number confusion (this books) and proximity mistakes (using that for near objects).
• A complete 60-minute lesson moves from pointing and drilling to question-answer patterns to free production about the classroom.

What are demonstrative pronouns with examples?

Demonstrative pronouns are this, that, these, and those — they replace nouns while showing both distance from the speaker and whether the reference is singular or plural.

The system works like a grid. Distance runs horizontally: near objects (within easy reach) versus far objects (across the room or at a distance). Number runs vertically: singular versus plural. The four combinations give you the four pronouns.

The four forms explained

This handles singular objects close to the speaker: ‘This is my coffee’ when you’re holding the cup. That takes singular objects at a distance: ‘That is the whiteboard’ when pointing across the classroom.

These covers plural objects near you: ‘These are my keys’ while jingling them. Those points to plural objects far away: ‘Those are the windows’ when gesturing towards the wall.

The pattern becomes automatic once students connect the words to physical space. Use this A1 demonstrative pronouns lesson to practise the forms with real classroom objects and video activities.

Distance	Singular	Plural	Example
Near	this	these	This is expensive / These are heavy
Far	that	those	That is broken / Those are mine

Students often find the number distinction harder than the distance one. They can see that a pen is close or far, but matching this to one pen and these to several pens requires more conscious attention.

How do you teach demonstrative pronouns to beginners?

Start with physical demonstration using identical objects placed in obvious near and far classroom zones, then build up to question-answer drilling before any written work.

Stage 1: Physical demonstration with real objects

Place two identical pens on your desk and two more on the windowsill across the room. Point to the desk pens and say ‘This is a pen’ — exaggerate the pointing gesture. Walk to the far pens and say ‘That is a pen’ from your desk position.

Repeat with plural objects: put several books near you (‘These are books’) and several more at the back of the room (‘Those are books’). Students watch the pattern before they speak.

Move to choral repetition. Point and pause — students supply the pronoun. ‘Blank is a pen.’ They shout ‘This!’ Keep the energy high and the gestures obvious.

Stage 2: Question and answer patterns

Introduce the questions that unlock natural use: ‘What’s this?’ and ‘What’s that?’ Drill the answers until they flow automatically.

Start with you asking, students answering. Point to your coffee: ‘What’s this?’ Students respond: ‘This is coffee’ or ‘This is a cup.’ Point across the room: ‘What’s that?’ — ‘That’s a clock.’

Then reverse roles. Students point to nearby objects and ask you ‘What’s this?’ You answer, then point to distant objects and ask them ‘What’s that?’

According to Games4ESL, starting with short Q-A patterns and drilling them orally before written work builds automaticity with the basic forms. The repetition creates muscle memory.

Stage	Activity	Student role	Time
1	Physical demonstration	Watch and repeat chorally	10 mins
2	Question-answer drilling	Answer questions, then ask questions	15 mins
3	Free production	Create own sentences about classroom	20 mins

What mistakes do A1 learners make with demonstratives?

A1 learners most commonly confuse singular and plural forms (this books) or mix up proximity (that pen here), usually because they focus on one aspect of the system while ignoring the other.

Number confusion errors

This apples appears constantly in A1 writing and speaking. Students lock onto this as ‘the near word’ but forget it only works with singular nouns.

Similarly, these is good shows up when students treat these like this in terms of verb agreement. They need explicit drilling: this is versus these are.

Address number first, distance second. Give students a pile of mixed singular and plural objects. They sort them and practise: ‘This is a pen, these are pens. This is a key, these are keys.‘

Distance mix-ups

‘Can you give me that pen here?’ sounds logical to students — they can see the pen, so they point and name it. But English cares about physical proximity, not visibility.

Students’ first languages often handle distance differently. Some have no grammatical distance marking; others mark visible versus invisible rather than near versus far.

Create clear zones in your classroom. Put tape on the floor if needed. Near zone: arm’s length from the student. Far zone: anywhere they’d need to walk to reach. Practise with the zones until the habit sticks.

Error type	Example mistake	Why it happens	How to fix
Number confusion	This books are good	Focus on distance only	Sort objects by singular/plural first
Distance mix-up	That pen here (pointing nearby)	Visibility over proximity	Create clear classroom zones
Verb agreement	These is expensive	Treat these like this	Drill this is vs these are separately
Overuse of that	That for everything	Avoid this to sound polite	Encourage pointing to nearby items

How long does a demonstrative pronouns lesson take?

A complete A1 lesson on demonstrative pronouns takes 60 minutes: 15 minutes for warm-up and presentation, 25 minutes for controlled practice, and 20 minutes for production and review.

Warm-up and presentation (15 minutes)

Start by placing objects around the classroom before students arrive. Use items they know: pens, books, keys, phones. Create obvious near and far pairs.

Spend five minutes demonstrating the forms without explanation. Point, say the sentences, gesture for students to repeat. The meaning becomes clear through your actions.

Add a quick comprehension check: call out a sentence (‘This is a book’) and students point to the correct zone. If they point near when you say that, repeat the demonstration.

Controlled practice activities (25 minutes)

Run a ‘touch and say’ game. Call out ‘Touch something and say this is…’ or ‘Point to something far and say that is…’ Students move around the classroom, finding objects that match your instruction.

Drill question-answer pairs for eight minutes. Students work in pairs with objects between them. Partner A points and asks ‘What’s this?’ Partner B answers. They swap roles every two minutes.

Add gap-fill exercises using classroom items. Write sentences on the board with blanks: ‘Blank is my bag’ or ‘Blank are expensive.’ Students complete them while looking at real objects in the room.

Production and review (20 minutes)

Students create five true sentences about their immediate environment using each pronoun at least once. ‘This is my notebook, that is the door’ — sentences that describe their actual surroundings.

Pair work: students describe what they can see while their partner listens and checks. ‘These are my glasses, those are John’s books.’ The listener confirms or corrects gently.

End with error correction. Write common mistakes from the lesson on the board. Students identify and fix them as a class. This consolidates the patterns before they leave.

Stage	Activity	Time	Materials needed
Warm-up	Object placement and demonstration	15 mins	Pens, books, keys (identical pairs)
Controlled practice	Touch and say game, Q-A drilling, gap-fills	25 mins	Prepared gap-fill sentences
Production	True sentences, pair descriptions	20 mins	Students’ own classroom items

Can demonstrative pronouns be taught online?

Demonstrative pronouns can be taught effectively online using screen sharing for virtual distance zones and breakout rooms for personalised practice with students’ own objects.

Screen sharing and virtual objects

Create slides with objects placed near the bottom (representing your desk space) and far at the top (representing the back wall). Students point to their own camera when practising this and to objects on your shared screen for that.

Use virtual backgrounds if your platform supports them. Set one background as ‘near space’ (close objects) and another as ‘far space’ (distant objects). Switch between them during demonstrations.

The key limitation: students can’t physically move between zones. Compensate by making the visual distinction extremely obvious on screen and encouraging exaggerated pointing gestures.

Breakout room activities

Send pairs into breakout rooms with a simple task: describe five objects in your real environment using the four demonstrative pronouns. They return with their sentences to share with the class.

Use ‘show and tell’ activities. Each student holds up a personal item close to their camera (‘This is my coffee’) then points to something across their room (‘That is my window’).

Try screenshot activities for review. Students take screenshots of moments during the lesson when you or others are pointing to objects, then write sentences about what they see.

Online tool	Activity adaptation	Student interaction
Screen sharing	Virtual near/far zones with objects	Point to screen or camera
Breakout rooms	Describe real environment	Practice with personal items
Chat function	Type sentences about what others show	Write while watching demos
Annotations	Mark near/far zones on shared screen	Collaborative pointing exercise

Adaptations work best when you acknowledge the limitations upfront. Tell students that online demonstratives require more imagination but the same language patterns apply to their real-world conversations.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the 4 demonstrative pronouns?

The four demonstrative pronouns are this (singular, near), that (singular, far), these (plural, near), and those (plural, far). They replace nouns and show both distance from the speaker and whether the object is singular or plural.

What is the difference between this and that?

This refers to singular objects close to the speaker, while that refers to singular objects far from the speaker. Use this for items you can easily reach and that for items across the room or at a distance.

How do you explain demonstrative pronouns to beginners?

Start with physical objects in clear near and far zones of the classroom. Point to items while saying the pronouns, then have students repeat. Use gestures and exaggerated distance to make the meaning obvious before introducing rules.

Are this and that demonstrative pronouns?

Yes, this and that are demonstrative pronouns when they replace nouns (This is expensive). They become demonstrative adjectives when they come before nouns (This book is expensive). A1 learners focus on the pronoun use first.

What is the rule for these and those?

These refers to plural objects near the speaker, and those refers to plural objects far from the speaker. The rule is: near + plural = these, far + plural = those. Students often need extra practice with plural forms.

Related Articles

• best A1 grammar ESL lessons 2026
• be going to explained
• comparatives explained ESL

Ready to teach demonstrative pronouns with confidence? This A1 demonstrative pronouns lesson provides a complete 60-minute plan with video activities, controlled practice, and production tasks. The lesson includes both printable PDFs and interactive e-lesson slides for online teaching. Open this lesson.