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This vs These: What's the Difference?
Hannah Yang
Speculative Fiction Author
This and these are demonstratives, which means they indicate a specific noun in a sentence. They’re both important words in the English language.
Many people mix up this and these because they both refer to nouns that are near in space and time.
So what exactly is the difference between this vs these ?
The short answer is that this is used with singular or uncountable nouns (e.g. this egg), while these refers to plural nouns (e.g. these cookies).
This article will explain the difference between this vs these and help you remember how to use these words correctly in your writing.
Quick Definition and Meaning of “This”
Quick definition and meaning of “these”, what’s the difference between this and these, conclusion on this vs these.
This refers to a singular noun that is near in time or space, such as a lamp or a desk .
If you say “I know this song,” for example, you’re most likely talking about the song that’s currently playing within earshot.
We also use this for uncountable nouns that we treat as singular, such as water , sugar , or happiness . For example, you might say “ This water tastes funny” to talk about the water you’re currently drinking.
This is often used with words describing time, such as morning , week , and year . When used with these words, this can be used to talk about time in the present or in the near past or near present. For example, you could use the phrase “ this afternoon” to refer to the afternoon of the present day.
It’s also important to remember that when the noun is omitted after this , it becomes a singular pronoun. If you say “I enjoyed eating this ,” the word this refers to whatever singular dish you just ate.
These also refers to nouns that are near in time or space, but it is used for plural countable nouns. The noun that follows these must always be plural.
If you say “I don’t know any of these people,” you’re referring to more than one person, all of whom are near in time or space.
Just like this , these can be used as a plural pronoun if you omit the noun afterwards. If you say “Wow, I like these ,” the word these most likely refers to whatever plural noun you’re referring to in the present moment.
The main difference between this and these is that this is used to refer to singular and uncountable nouns, while these is used to refer to plural countable nouns.
You would say “ this necklace” to refer to a single necklace, and “ these necklaces” to refer to multiple necklaces. It would be incorrect to say “ these necklace” or “ this necklaces.”
Let’s take a look at some more examples of how to use this and these in a sentence.
Examples of These in a Sentence
Here are some examples of these used to refer to a plural countable noun:
- Where did these papers come from?
- Let me hand you these boxes.
- These musicians are talented.
- These shoes are really beautiful.
Here are some examples of these used as demonstrative pronouns, with the noun omitted:
- These are organic.
- Let me give you these .
- What are these ?
- I don’t want any of these .
One of the best ways to learn a word is to see examples from literature in the real world. Here are some examples of these from popular English books:
- “Some of these women have had so much work done their words come out all mushy because they can’t move their lips.”—Maggie Shipstead, Great Circle
- “The long route took us through all these old neighborhoods and shopping streets and finally past a tiny little temple in the middle of a bunch of ugly concrete office buildings.”— A Tale for the Time Being
- “But these days, inside my closet, poetry is as real to me as an ax. I need it more than food.”—Amity Gaige, Sea Wife
- “But the nostalgia didn’t hit. These weren’t my memories.”—Ottessa Moshfegh, My Year of Rest and Relaxation
- “Places like these were already suffocating. It did naught to add more weight upon the pillow pressed to their faces.”—Chloe Gong, These Violet Delights
- “These are the times that try men’s souls.”—Thomas Paine, The American Crisis
Examples of This in a Sentence
Here are some examples of this used to refer to a singular noun or uncountable noun:
- This cupcake is delicious. (singular noun)
- I told my parents that I want this necklace for Christmas. (singular noun)
- What is this music you’re listening to? (uncountable noun)
- Get a grip on all this anger. (uncountable noun)
Here are some examples of this used to talk about time:
- My friends called me this morning. (near past)
- What’s for dinner this evening? (near future)
- I had three cancellations this week. (present)
- This year has been difficult for my family. (present)
Here are some examples of this used as demonstrative pronouns, with the noun omitted:
- Don’t forget to turn this off when you leave.
- Can you please heat this on the stove over a low flame?
- This is delicious!
I like this .
Finally, here are some examples of this from popular English books:
“ This morning I had poison for breakfast.”—Lemony Snicket, Poison for Breakfast
- “She stared at him as though he were another architectural marvel of this strange new world.”—Shelley Parker-Chan, She Who Became the Sun
- “Was I alive? I hoped so, but only because if this was the location of the afterlife, I’d be lodging an appeal immediately.”—Gail Honeyman, Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine
- “The kids stared at me, awestruck. Why had their parents not explained this to them? Probably because they didn’t understand it themselves.”—Andy Weir, Project Hail Mary
- “ This is my first experience of a heartfelt apology from Marcus, and so far it has involved six clichés, two butchered literary references and no eye contact.”—Beth O’Leary, The Road Trip
There you have it—a complete guide to this vs these . Here’s a quick recap:
- Use this to refer to singular nouns that are near in time and space
- Use these to refer to plural nouns that are near in time and space
- Both this and these can be used as pronouns if you omit the noun afterwards
If you’re worried about mixing up this and these , you can always run your work through ProWritingAid, which will show you which one is correct. Our grammar checker will point out confused words and misspellings .
We hope this article helped you learn the difference between these two words!
Hannah is a speculative fiction writer who loves all things strange and surreal. She holds a BA from Yale University and lives in Colorado. When she’s not busy writing, you can find her painting watercolors, playing her ukulele, or hiking in the Rockies. Follow her work on hannahyang.com or on Twitter at @hannahxyang.
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This, these, that, and those
This and these are used to point to something near you. For a singular thing, use this . For a plural thing, use these .
- I like this phone a lot. (when you’re holding the phone in your hand or pointing to it nearby)
- Do you like these shoes? (when you’re wearing the shoes or pointing to them nearby)
- I read this already. (when you're holding a book in your hand or pointing to it nearby)
That and those are used to point to something further away. For a singular thing, use that . For a plural thing, use those .
- That café looks good. (when you are looking at the café but you’re not in it or right in front of it)
- Those are my keys. (when you see the keys but they are not in your hand or very near you)
This, these, that, and those are also used to refer to ideas and events. If it is in the present, use this or these . If it was said or it happened in the past, use that or those .
- This is the best concert I’ve ever been to. (when the concert is still going on)
- These two people are my neighbors, Paul and Carol.
- That was a great concert. (when the concert is over)
- Those were the best days of my life.
I hope this is helpful.
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This , that , these , those
This, that, these and those are demonstratives . We use this, that, these and those to point to people and things. This and that are singular. These and those are plural. We use them as determiners and pronouns.
This , that , these , those as determiners
Pointing to things.
We use this and that with singular and uncountable nouns:
Try to repeat this exercise every morning and evening. ( this + singular countable noun)
What does this music make you think of? ( this + singular uncountable noun)
I’ve never been to that part of France. ( that + singular countable noun)
Can I have some of that juice, please? ( that + singular uncountable noun)
We use these and those with plural nouns:
You can use any one of these computers. ( these + plural noun)
I need to paint those windows. ( those + plural noun)
Time phrases
We often use this with words describing time and dates like morning, afternoon, evening, week, month, year to refer to ‘the one that’s coming’ or ‘the one we’re currently in’:
I’ll be with you some time this evening .
Johan seemed very happy this afternoon .
Ian is in Germany all this week .
This , that , these , those as pronouns
Referring to things or ideas.
We normally use this, that, these and those as pronouns to refer to things or ideas:
Put the butter, chocolate and sugar in a saucepan. Heat this over a low flame until it melts.
We’re going to eat first and then go to the film. Are you happy with that ? (Are you happy with the idea of eating first, then going to the film?)
[talking about the TV]
Can you turn that off if you’re not watching it?
[talking about shoes]
What colour are those ? Black or dark blue. I can’t see.
Referring to people
We can use this and that as pronouns to refer to people when we want to identify ourselves or others, or to ask the identity of other speakers:
Linda, this is my mother, Anne.
Is that your brother over there?
We often do this in telephone calls and in answer-phone messages:
Hello, is that Ken Orm? This is Jane Bromham here.
This and these , that and those : uses
Physical closeness and distance.
We use this and these most commonly to point to things and people that are close to the speaker or writer, or things that are happening now:
Shall I use this knife here?
[pointing to something]
Is this what you mean?
I’ll post these letters on my way home.
[pointing to a pile of books]
Do these belong to the Bradshaws?
We use that and those most commonly to point to things and people which are not easy to identify in a situation. They are often more distant from the speaker, and sometimes closer to the listener:
What’s in that bottle over there?
Could you blow out those candles near you?
Sometimes they are not visible to either the speaker or listener:
Budapest! That ’s my favourite place!
Emotional distance
We sometimes use this, these, that, those to identify emotional distance. We use this and these to refer to things that we feel positive about, that we are happy to be associated with, or we approve of:
I love these new woollen mobile phone covers that you can get.
We use that and those to create distance:
What are you going to say to that sister of yours?
[talking about a restaurant]
I didn’t like the decoration. It had those awful paintings.
Shared knowledge and new information
We sometimes use that instead of the to refer the listener to shared knowledge, often when we are telling a story or explaining something:
You know that old shop on the corner? Well, they’re going to turn it into a restaurant.
We sometimes use this instead of a/an to refer to something important or recent, or to introduce a new person or thing in a story:
This guy knocked on the door and asked if I wanted new windows.
Then suddenly she pulled out this big pile of papers from her briefcase and threw them on the table.
It , this and that in paragraphs
Determiners ( the, my , some , this )
Substitution with that, those
In formal contexts, we can use that and those as substitutes meaning ‘the one(s)’:
The most important information is that given at the beginning of the manual. ( that substitutes for the information )
The methods employed are those familiar to researchers. (more formal than The methods employed are the ones familiar to researchers .)
In formal contexts, especially in academic style, we use that of/those of instead of the one of/the ones of or the … one/the … ones . This is preferred to the possessive X ’s one/X’s ones :
The proton has a similar mass to that of a neutron. (preferred to The proton has a similar mass to the neutron’s .)
The emotions in the poems are those of loss and grief.
Not: The emotions in the poem are loss and grief ones .
We normally only use that as a substitute for a thing, not for a person or animal:
A: Have you met Mr Kelly? B: The one who works at the town hall, or his brother? A: The one at the town hall .
Not: That who works at the town hall .
We can use those as a substitute for persons, animals or things:
There are sports facilities for guests. Those interested in golf can enjoy our eighteen-hole course.
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Difference Between THIS and THESE
• Categorized under Grammar , Language | Difference Between THIS and THESE
This is used to describe a singular countable noun and these is used with plural countable nouns. A countable noun has a plural form such as books, girls, boys, toys, etc. For example we say a book but six books or many books or some books or a few books. A non-countable noun has no plural form. To illustrate the use of the words “this” and “these”, consider the following sentences.
- This book is very interesting.
- These books belong to the public library.
- This glass is broken.
- These glasses need to be washed.
- We bought this car about three years ago.
- These cars will need to be serviced.
- I would like to buy this mobile phone.
- None of these mobile phones have the functions I am looking for.
- This bed has been untidily made.
- These beds are badly made.
Non-countable nouns such as tea, sugar, water, air, rice, anger, fear, money, salary, research, love etc. have no plural form and therefore are qualified with the word “ this ”. See the examples below.
- This type of anger is totally unjustified.
- This money belongs to my father.
- I find this salary too small to manage a decent living.
- This tea has no sugar in it.
- This coffee tastes better with cream.
- This rice is undercooked.
- You must overcome this unreasonable fear of cockroaches.
- This deep love you show your dog makes me jealous.
- Will this research that you do benefit mankind?
- This audience is very receptive to the concert.
“ This ” and “ these ” can be used to introduce people.
- Hello John, this is my father and this is my mother.
- These are my parents.
- These are my friends, Sally and Polly.
- Hello, this is Mary speaking. May I speak to Maria?
- These young men were in school with me.
- This is my husband Richard.
- These are my children, George and Ralph.
- This is the telephone company calling to see if your bill has been paid.
We also use this and these to show proximity as opposed to that and those . We use this and these for people or things near us, This points to something nearby, while that points to something “over there.”
- This restaurant is better than that down the road.
- This shop has better clothes than that shop next door.
- These shoes are more comfortable than those under the bed.
- I prefer these pink candles to those green ones.
- This school is better than that chosen by your parents.
- This food is better than that cooked by my mother.
- These flowers look fresher than those in the vase.
- These young singers are better than those of the church choir.
- This desk is hers while that desk is mine.
- Those trees are elms but these are oaks.
This and these can be used as pronouns as well. For instance,
- This is mine. That over there is yours.
- These are old shoes. Those there are newer.
- This is the result of your stupidity.
- These are the sins of our forefathers.
- This helps in learning English.
- These are insincere words spoken without any feeling.
- This is my last visit to Europe.
- These small issues are not worth wasting time over.
In conclusion remember that this is used with singular nouns and these is used with plural nouns. This and these refer to something near you, while that and those refer to something farther away.
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Cite APA 7 Dixit, G. (2016, June 8). Difference Between THIS and THESE. Difference Between Similar Terms and Objects. http://www.differencebetween.net/language/difference-between-this-and-these/. MLA 8 Dixit, Gouri. "Difference Between THIS and THESE." Difference Between Similar Terms and Objects, 8 June, 2016, http://www.differencebetween.net/language/difference-between-this-and-these/.
14 Comments
Which is correct This boy and girl or These boy and girl?
These boy and girl
I enjoyed the tutorial
This boy and girl
Please let me know which of the following is correct?
A: 1) This is Peter and John. 2) These are Peter and John.
B: 1) Here is Peter and John. 2) Here are Peter and John.
This is Peter and this is John These are my friends, Peter and John
For most up-to-date news you have to go to see web and on internet I found this web site as a most excellent site for latest updates.
which is correct? happy birthday to these beautiful girls(cause they are twins) or happy birthday to this beautiful girls
Which are correct? “This people” or “These people”
I enjoy the lecture, whaooh me. Learning everyday.
Which is right? This kind of songs These kind of songs
love your lecture
This was a great lession.
i really learnt alot i love ur work
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Home » Language » English Language » Grammar » Difference Between This and These
Difference Between This and These
Main difference – this vs. these.
This and These are two of the most frequently used words in the English language. Both This and These are used when describing people or things near to us, introducing people or referring to a thing just mentioned. Thus, there is no difference in the meaning of these two words. The difference exists in the usage. The main difference between this and these is that ‘this’ is the singular form while ‘these’ is the plural form of the word. ‘This’ is pronounced as /ðɪs/while ‘these’ is pronounced as /ðiːz/. Both these terms are used as demonstrative pronouns as well as demonstrative adjectives . This can be also used as an adverb. This usage will be explained later in this article.
This and These – Meaning and Usage
In the English language. ‘this’ and ‘these’ are used as demonstrative pronouns and adjectives.
As an A djective
Used to identify a specific person or thing that is close by or being indicated or experienced
“I don’t agree with this theory.”
“ These cupcakes are delicious.”
“I knew that this man was a fraud, as soon as I saw him.”
Refers to the nearest thing when talking about two things that is closed to the speaker.
“I think this shop has more fashionable dresses than that shop.”
“What do you want, this one or that one?”
“ These bags look better.”
Refers to a specific thing just mentioned.
“We had to stay at home for two whole weeks because of this incident.”
“She didn’t listen to anyone, and this behavior made her parents worry.”
“As a result of these incidents, they decided to close the factory.”
Used with periods of time, related to the present or immediate past.
“How are you feeling this morning?”
“I haven’t left my house these two days.”
“We are planning a trip these days.”
These cupcakes are delicious.
As a P ronoun
Identifies a specific person or thing close by or being indicated or experienced
“This is my book.” → “These are my books.”
“Go and keep this in your room.” → “Go and keep these in your room.”
“Is this yours?” → “Are these yours?”
“She made a special dish for him. This made her late.
“It is said that moderate drinking has health benefits, but these are not nearly as great as they are made out to be.”
“They constructed a house in Pune; this was to be their holiday house.”
Introduces someone or something
“This is my house.”
“This is Ethel, and that is Adam.”
“These are my friends.”
∗ When we are using ‘these’ to introduce people, we don’t say ‘These are Ethel and John.’ Instead, we use ‘This is Ethel, and this is John .’ We only use ‘these’ with plural countable nouns.
This is Belle, my little daughter.
As an Adverb
When ‘this’ is directly used with adjectives and adverb, it indicates a degree or extent. However, keep in mind that ‘these’ cannot be used as here, as adjectives and adverbs are always in the singular form.
“I never thought that your house is this big.”
“She is not used to this much attention.”
This is the singular form.
These is the plural form.
Demonstrative Pronoun
This can can be used as a demonstrative pronoun.
These can also be used as a demonstrative pronoun.
This can be used as an adjective.
These can be used as an adjective.
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This, that, these, those
It's a few weeks before Christmas and Sophie is working in India. She's doing her Christmas shopping in a local market.
Instructions
As you watch the video, look at the examples of this, that, these and those . They are in red in the subtitles. Then read the conversation below to learn more. Finally, do the grammar exercises to check you understand, and can use, this , that , these and those correctly.
Sophie: Darling, hi, it’s me.
Daisy: Hi, Mum.
Sophie: Listen, I’m in a bit of a hurry, but can you help me for a minute?
Daisy: Ummm ... yeah.
Sophie: Well, I’m doing a bit of Christmas shopping and I want your advice. Look. I’m here in the market. Wait a second, I’ll put my video on, OK? Listen, what do you think about these for your Uncle Bob?
Daisy: Mmm ... I’ve never seen Uncle Bob in trousers like those, but they are great! Maybe he needs a bit of colour in his life?!
Sophie: I’m not sure ... but maybe you’re right. I mean, they’re pure silk. OK, so you think they’re perfect for Bob?
Daisy: Well, I didn’t say ‘perfect’ exactly, but I’m sure he’ll like them. Wow, that market looks amazing. Lovely and colourful.
Sophie: It’s beautiful, Daisy. I’ll bring you next time for sure.
Daisy: You always say that, Mum!
Sophie: I know, love, but you have school and this is work you know!
Daisy: Yeah, I know. It’s all work, work, work.
Sophie: Daisy, one more question - what about this shirt for Oliver?
Daisy: For Ollie? Yeah, Mum, he’ll love it. No, hold on, what about that one over there, behind you? The one with the flowers on.
Sophie: This one? Really? Do you think it’s Ollie’s style? It’s a bit loud, isn’t it? He usually likes darker colours ... and I’m not sure about the flowers.
Daisy: Oh, he’ll love it, Mum. At least he won’t get lost on a dark night!
Sophie: Yeah, maybe ... he has got some brighter coloured clothes recently. OK then, I’ll get these for Uncle Bob and this shirt for Oliver and you’re getting a surprise!
Daisy: Perfect, Mum! When are you arriving home?
Sophie: I’ll be there on Monday, OK? See you then, love.
Daisy: All right, Mum, see you soon. Take care.
Oliver: Was that Mum?
Sophie: Yeah.
Oliver: Any news?
Sophie: No, she was in a market, doing some Christmas shopping.
Oliver: Oh no! It’s going to be one of those years of ‘exotic’ presents, isn’t it?
Sophie: I’m afraid so! It’s going to be another weird Christmas Day! Do you remember that year when she’d just come back from Peru?
Oliver: Oh no!
We use this/that/these/those to explain what we are talking about. We sometimes use them with nouns and we sometimes use them on their own.
We use this (singular) and these (plural) to talk about things close to us, and that (singular) and those (plural) to talk about things at some distance away from us.
What about this shirt for Oliver? No, hold on, what about that one over there?
So this is the idea of here and that is the idea of there ?
Yes, exactly.
Wow, that market looks amazing. (= there . I'm not in the market, it's at some distance away from me) This market is amazing. (= here . I'm in the market)
What about time? How does time affect this or that ?
A good question. We use that to show distance in time as well as distance in space.
This is a good film. (we're watching it now) That was a good film. (we saw it at some time in the past)
Are this/these and that/those always used with nouns?
No, we can use them as pronouns , without nouns, when it's obvious what they refer to.
What do you think about these for your Uncle Bob? (pointing to trousers) I've never seen Uncle Bob in trousers like those . (those trousers, but we don't need to repeat trousers) Who was that ?
So they are useful words in shops or cafes. If you don't know the word for something, you can just say, 'Can I see that ?' or 'I'd like those , please' and point.
Yes, they're very useful words!
I think I've heard this and that refer to more general things too, not just specific things.
That's right. This and that can refer to what somebody has said or what has happened. This could be several things or ideas.
That 's right. (everything you said) This is work you know! (all the things I'm doing) That was a great concert! (something that has just happened)
What about phone language? How do people use this and that ?
When you explain who is talking you say, 'Hi, this is Dan.' And to check who is speaking, you can say, 'Is that Jenny?'
Can I say 'This is me'?
No. If you're phoning someone you know very well, you'd say ' It's me.'
What about introducing people to each other? Do I use this or that ?
When you're introducing one person to another person, you say, 'Juliette, this is Marc'.
OK, thanks. That 's all for now!
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this, that – these, those
When do we use the this and that – these / those .
- this and that in the singular,
- these and those in the Plural.
Generally speaking, we use this / these to refer to people and things, situations and experiences that are close to the speaker or very close in time. We use that / those to refer to people and things, situations and experiences that are more distant, either in time or physically.
- This is a great game. (We are watching the game.)
- That was a great game. (The game is over.)
The demonstrative determiner and the demonstrative pronoun
demonstrative determiner (together with a noun ): This book is new.
demonstrative pronoun (stand on its own): This is a new book.
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- Grammar Explanations
This, That, These, Those
This , that , these and those are called demonstratives. We use a demonstrative when we want to talk about whether something is near or far from us and if the subject is singular or plural.
This car is nice (singular, near) That car is nice (singular, distant) These cars are nice (plural, near) Those cars are nice (plural, distant)
Position of demonstratives
Before the noun. – What are those people looking at? Before the word 'one'. – This one is much cheaper than that one . Before an adjective + noun. – These blue shoes would really suit you. When it is clear what the noun is. – while eating ice-cream: This is delicious (you do not need to say, ‘This ice-cream is delicious’ ).
Now answer these demonstrative questions:
- 1) ___ flowers are dead. This These
- 2) ___ jacket is the most expensive one in the shop. These This
- 3) This rain __ making me feel depressed. is are
- 4) Those houses ___ all new. is are
- 5) When are ___ letters going to be sent? those this
- 6) Do you remember ___ amazing party we went to last summer? those that
- 7) Please put ___ magazines back on the shelf. that those
- 8) ___ traffic gets worse every year This These
- 9) ___ children are all Italian. These This
- 10) Whose ___ those keys on the table? is are
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This and these are demonstratives, which means they indicate a specific noun in a sentence. They're both important words in the English
This and these are used to point to something near you. For a singular thing, use this. For a plural thing, use these. Examples: I like this phone a lot.
You can use or these to refer to people or things that are very near to you. · `This' is not usually used as a pronoun to refer to a person. You only use it
This, that, these and those are demonstratives. We use this, that, these and those to point to people and things. This and that are singular.
This is used to describe a singular countable noun and these is used with plural countable nouns. A countable noun has a plural form such as books, girls
Difference between the pronouns This, That, These and Those – English Grammar lessonTake the quiz
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The main difference between this and these is that 'this' is the singular form while 'these' is the plural form of the word. 'This' is
We use this/that/these/those to explain what we are talking about. We sometimes
Generally speaking, we use this/these to refer to people and things, situations and experiences that are close to the speaker or very close in time. We use that
This, that, these and those are called demonstratives. We use a demonstrative when we want to talk about whether something is near or far