Demonstratives

You already know that this, that, these, and those are pointing words. Now you will learn to use them in longer sentences and with "There is" and "There are".

What You'll Learn

How to use demonstratives inside longer sentences (not just "This is a ___.")
How to use "There is" and "There are" with demonstratives
How to choose the right demonstrative when describing things in a sentence

When to Use

Describing something near you: "This cake tastes very sweet."
Describing something far away: "That building is the library."
Talking about many things near you: "These flowers smell nice."
Telling someone what is in a place: "There are those birds on the roof."

How to Form

Demonstratives in Sentences

You can use a demonstrative before a noun in any part of a sentence.

Pattern	Example
Demonstrative + noun at the start	This book is about animals.
Demonstrative + noun after a verb	I like that song.
Demonstrative + noun with a describing word	These red apples are crunchy.

"There is" and "There are"

Use "There is" for one thing. Use "There are" for more than one thing.

Number	Pattern	Example
One thing	There is + a/an + noun	There is a cat under the table.
More than one	There are + noun(s)	There are three cups on the tray.

Combining Demonstratives with "There is / There are"

Sentence	Why it works
There is this funny show on TV.	One show (singular), so use "There is" + "this"
There are those stickers on the wall.	Many stickers (plural), so use "There are" + "those"

Key Rules

Match the number: This and that go with one thing. These and those go with more than one thing. "I want this cookie." / "I want these cookies."
"There is" for one, "There are" for many: Always check if the noun is singular or plural. "There is a bird." / "There are five birds."
Demonstrative before the noun: When you put a demonstrative in a sentence, it comes right before the noun. "Please pass me that plate."
Do not mix "a/an" with a demonstrative: You say "this book" or "a book", but never "a this book".

Common Mistakes

Wrong	Right	Why
There are a dog in the garden.	There is a dog in the garden.	One dog is singular, so use "There is"
There is many pencils on the desk.	There are many pencils on the desk.	Many pencils is plural, so use "There are"
I like a this toy.	I like this toy.	Do not put "a" before a demonstrative
These mango is sweet.	This mango is sweet.	One mango, so use "this" not "these"

Clue Words

Signals for "There is" (singular):

a, an, one, only one, a single

Signals for "There are" (plural):

many, some, two, three, a few, several

Near vs far (from P1):

here, close = this / these there, over there, far = that / those

Tip: Before you write, ask two questions: (1) Is it near or far? (2) Is it one or many? Your answers will tell you exactly which word to pick and whether to use "There is" or "There are".

Practice Tips

Two-question check: For every sentence, ask "One or many?" and "Near or far?" Pick the demonstrative that matches both answers.
Swap test for There is / There are: Cover the noun and look at it. If the noun is singular, use "There is". If it is plural, use "There are". Then read the whole sentence again to make sure it sounds right.
Read and point: When you read a storybook, point to things on the page and make sentences. "This boy is running." "There are two dogs in the park."

Quick Reference

Word	Near or Far	One or Many	Example in a sentence
this	Near	One	This durian is very smelly.
that	Far	One	Mum bought that bag yesterday.
these	Near	More than one	These kueh are from the hawker centre.
those	Far	More than one	Look at those kites in the sky!

Pattern	When to use	Example
There is + singular noun	One thing exists in a place	There is a frog in the pond.
There are + plural noun	More than one thing exists	There are many books on the shelf.

Demonstratives (P2) (Primary 2)