This and these are used in different ways when you are referring to people, things, situations, events, or periods of time. They can both be determiners or pronouns.

Definition of these in Oxford Advanced American Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.

This, that, these, and those are demonstratives used to point to specific people, things, or ideas. They help show how many things you’re talking about and how far they are from the speaker. Knowing …

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You use these when you refer to something which you expect the person you are talking to to know about, or when you are checking that you are both thinking of the same person or thing.

Otherwise, it's very common to replace a word like this, that, those, or these with a pronoun like it or they, or he or she or they if you are talking about a person/people.

May 20, 2025 · Learn how to use demonstrative pronouns like this, that, these, and those with easy rules and examples.

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 …

These metals are effective but costly and limited in supply. These phases can strongly influence how well the material performs as a catalyst.

These metals are effective but costly and limited in supply. These phases can strongly influence how well the material performs as a catalyst.

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