Kilo Lingo
English grammar Part of Chapter 1

CEFR A1

4 min read

Test yourself (27 questions)

This, that, these and those in English: chart and examples

By Michael McGettrickUpdated 11 October 2026

English has four pointing words: this, that, these and those. They answer the question "which one?" without a name: this man (the man next to me), those things (the things over there). Two questions choose the word: near or far? One or many?

Quick check

Three quick questions on what you have just read. The full practice is further down.

Pick the right one

0/3

Read the cue in brackets. Here or there? One or many? Then pick the right word.

  1. thing (here, one)

  2. man (there, one)

  3. things (here, many)

The chart: this, that, these, those

Put the two questions together and you get all four words. The colour shows near or far. A plural -s on the noun has its own colour.

nearfarplural endingWhat do the colours mean?
OneMany

Read it out loud: , , , . Say it a few times.

A speaker stands on the grass pointing at a cup right beside them; a listener a little way off has a second cup by their feet; a third, tiny cup sits far away on top of a green hill.

The cup by me is this cup. The other two are both that cup: English has only near and far.

Here is the same chart with examples.

WordNear or far?Example
, . (in my hand)
, . (over there)
, . (on my feet)
, . (in a tree)

Question one: near or far?

Is the thing near you, or far from you?

  • : this or these. . (it is in my hand)
  • : that or those. Tom. (he is over there)

Here and there often come with them, and they match: , . If you say there, you want that or those.

That has one more use. It points back at something someone just said. I have a new job. That is good! The job is not in the room, but it is "there" in the talk.

Question two: one or many?

Is it one thing, or more than one?

  • : this or that. . .
  • : these or those. . .
On a table, a single smiling apple sits on a plate on the left, and three smiling apples share a plate on the right.

One apple: this. Three apples: these.

The noun and the pointing word must match. Things is plural, so it takes these or those: . This things is always wrong.

Some plural nouns do not end in -s. They still take these or those:

OneMany

Nouns you cannot count, like water, music and information, are never plural, so they take this or that: This water is cold. This information is useful. Never these information. See countable and uncountable nouns.

This and that for time

"Near" and "far" also work for time. Near means now or very soon. Far means away from now, and most often in the past.

TimeExampleMeaning
,
  • . (the week we are in now)
  • , . (now, in general)
  • , . (back then)

The same idea works for something going on now, or just finished. During a film you say . When it has finished, you say

.

With a noun or alone

The four words can stand in front of a noun (this way, those men), or stand alone when you both know what you mean. The word does not change. Only the noun goes away.

  • . (the thing here)
  • ? (the person there)
  • . (the things here)
  • . (the times back then)

You can also use one in place of a singular noun: , . This is useful in a shop. For one and ones, see ellipsis and substitution.

Introductions and the phone

English uses this to introduce people, and to say who you are on the phone.

WhenSentence
Sam This is my friend Sam.
: AnnaHello, this is Anna.
, Is that Tom?
, AmericanIs this Tom?

This or the?

This and that do the job of the, and they point too. The book is a book we both know about. This book is a book we both know about, and it is here, near me. Never use both together: the this book is wrong. For a, an and the, see articles in English.

Common mistakes

WrongRightWhy
this thingsthese things plural.
these informationthis information .
this bird up therethat bird up there .
This was fun.That was fun. 's .

The last one is about a party last week: it is over, so it is far in time. That was a good party.

What to do next

  1. Point at four things around you and name them: this cup, that door, these keys, those windows.
  2. Do the drills below: the cue, one or many, spot the mistake, then a short story.
  3. Next: question words in English (which, what, who).

Practise: test yourself

Pick the right one

0/8

Read the cue in brackets. Here or there? One or many? Then pick the right word.

  1. thing (here, one)

  2. man (there, one)

  3. things (here, many)

  4. men (there, many)

  5. way (here, one)

  6. time (there, one)

  7. ways (there, many)

  8. times (here, many)

Sort into groups

0/6

One or many? Sort each noun: this for one, these for many.

Tap a word, then the group it belongs in.

Spot the mistake

0/4

Each sentence has one mistake. Tap it.

Complete the story

0/5

Choose this, that, these or those for each gap.

Which one?

I don't want thing here. I want one there. And things here are good, but things there are better. is the way to do it!

Gap 1 of 5

Pick the right one

0/4

Now full sentences. The words around the gap tell you near or far, one or many.

  1. Can you see man there?

  2. You can have things here.

  3. Look at men there.

  4. Come here - you need to see thing.

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English · Free printables

Practice worksheets and infographics

Practice worksheets with answer keys built in, plus infographic and listicle formats. Open any one to view, print or save.

Infographics

  1. Key points infographic
  2. The chart: this, that, these, those
  3. The chart: this, that, these, those
  4. Question two: one or many?
  5. This and that for time
  6. Introductions and the phone
  7. Common mistakes

Other formats

  1. Listicle

More grammar on this course

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between this and that?
Distance. This points at a thing near you: this thing in my hand. That points at a thing far from you: that man over there. That also points back at something you both know about, like a thing someone just said.
When do I use these and those?
When you point at more than one thing. These is the plural of this, for things near you: these things here. Those is the plural of that, for things far from you: those men over there. If the noun is plural, the pointing word must be plural too.
Can I use this and that for time?
Yes. Near in time works like near in space. This week and this time mean now or very soon. That day and those times mean a day or a time away from now, usually in the past.
Is it this things or these things?
It is these things. Things is plural, so the pointing word must be plural too. This and that go with one thing only: this thing, that thing. These and those go with many: these things, those things.