Demonstrative Pronouns (This / That / These / Those) – English Grammar Exercises for A1
Choose the best option (A, B, C, or D) to complete each sentence.
You are giving a presentation. You are standing on a stage or at the front of a room, holding your notes or a pointer, and drawing the audience’s attention to slides, charts, or graphs on a projector screen far away from you. Pay attention to the physical distance to choose the correct word.
1 Pointing to a large graph on the projector screen across the room: “Please look at ______ graph on the screen.”
(A) this
(B) that
(C) it
(D) those
2 Pointing to the numbers on the top right corner of the far whiteboard: “Can everyone read ______ numbers clearly?”
(A) those
(B) they
(C) that
(D) these
3 Holding a small laser pointer in your hand: “I will use ______ pointer to show you the details.”
(A) that
(B) these
(C) this
(D) it
4 Comparing the paper notes in your hand with the presentation slide on the far wall: “The data in ______ notes is different from ______ slide on the wall.”
(A) those / this
(B) these / that
(C) they / it
(D) this / those
5 Pointing to a specific picture on the left side of the projector screen: “Notice the bright colors in ______ picture.”
(A) it
(B) those
(C) this
(D) that
6 Pointing to three bullet points at the bottom of the presentation slide: “We will focus on ______ three points today.”
(A) those
(B) these
(C) they
(D) that
7 Tapping the keyboard of the laptop right in front of you: “______ laptop is connected to the main projector.”
(A) That
(B) It
(C) This
(D) These
8 Pointing to the red line on the graph displayed far away on the screen: “What does ______ red line mean?”
(A) those
(B) that
(C) she
(D) this
9 Handing out printed copies to the audience while pointing to the screen: “You can read ______ copies in your hands, or look at ______ screen over there.”
(A) these / that
(B) those / this
(C) this / those
(D) they / it
10 Pointing to the statistics on the far right side of the whiteboard: “I want to explain ______ statistics to you.”
(A) these
(B) that
(C) them
(D) those
11 Looking up at the projector hanging from the ceiling far above: “Is ______ projector working properly?”
(A) that
(B) this
(C) those
(D) he
12 Holding a dry-erase marker in your hand: “I’m sorry, ______ marker is not writing very well.”
(A) That
(B) These
(C) It
(D) This
13 Pointing to the two diagrams on the screen across the room: “Let’s compare ______ two diagrams.”
(A) these
(B) those
(C) they
(D) that
14 Standing right next to the whiteboard, touching it, and then pointing to the far window: “______ board is too small, so please close ______ blinds on the window so we can see the projector.”
(A) That / these
(B) This / those
(C) It / they
(D) These / that
15 Pointing to the title at the very top of the slide: “The main topic for today is written in ______ title.”
(A) this
(B) it
(C) that
(D) those
16 Holding a remote control for the slides: “If I press the red button on ______ remote, the slide changes.”
(A) it
(B) this
(C) these
(D) that
17 Pointing to a list of names on the screen: “Do you recognize ______ names on the list?”
(A) those
(B) that
(C) them
(D) these
18 Pointing to an old chart from last year’s presentation on the screen: “We don’t need to worry about ______ old chart anymore.”
(A) those
(B) this
(C) it
(D) that
19 You hold up your printed speech, then point to the audience’s printed agendas far away on their tables: “I will follow ______ speech here, and you can follow ______ agendas on your tables.”
(A) this / those
(B) that / these
(C) these / that
(D) it / they
20 Concluding the presentation by pointing to the final summary sentences on the far screen: “Please remember ______ sentences, and thank you for listening.”
(A) these
(B) they
(C) those
(D) that
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (B) that
- Why it’s correct (The Key): The graph is singular and located on the screen across the room (far distance).
- Error Analysis: (A) “this” is a Meaning Trap (wrong distance). (D) “those” is a Structural Error (plural demonstrative for a singular noun). (C) “it” is a Common Mistake (personal pronouns cannot be used as adjectives before nouns).
2 (A) those
- Why it’s correct (The Key): The numbers are plural and on the far whiteboard (far distance).
- Error Analysis: (D) “these” is a Meaning Trap. (C) “that” is a Structural Error (singular). (B) “they” is a Common Mistake (“they numbers” is grammatically incorrect).
3 (C) this
- Why it’s correct (The Key): The laser pointer is singular and in your hand (zero distance).
- Error Analysis: (A) “that” is a Meaning Trap. (B) “these” is a Structural Error. (D) “it” is a Common Mistake.
4 (B) these / that
- Why it’s correct (The Key): The notes are plural and in your hand (these). The slide is singular and on the far wall (that).
- Error Analysis: (A) “those / this” is a Meaning Trap (reverses the distance logic completely). (D) “this / those” is a Structural Error (wrong singular/plural matching). (C) “they / it” is a Common Mistake.
5 (D) that
- Why it’s correct (The Key): The picture is singular and on the projector screen (far distance).
- Error Analysis: (C) “this” is a Meaning Trap. (B) “those” is a Structural Error. (A) “it” is a Common Mistake.
6 (A) those
- Why it’s correct (The Key): The points are plural and at the bottom of the slide on the screen (far distance).
- Error Analysis: (B) “these” is a Meaning Trap. (D) “that” is a Structural Error. (C) “they” is a Common Mistake.
7 (C) This
- Why it’s correct (The Key): The laptop is singular and right in front of you (near distance).
- Error Analysis: (A) “That” is a Meaning Trap. (D) “These” is a Structural Error. (B) “It” is a Common Mistake (“It laptop” is wrong).
8 (B) that
- Why it’s correct (The Key): The red line is singular and far away on the screen.
- Error Analysis: (D) “this” is a Meaning Trap. (A) “those” is a Structural Error. (C) “she” is a Common Mistake (using gendered pronouns for objects).
9 (A) these / that
- Why it’s correct (The Key): The copies are plural and in hand (these). The screen is singular and far away (that).
- Error Analysis: (B) “those / this” is a Meaning Trap. (C) “this / those” is a Structural Error. (D) “they / it” is a Common Mistake.
10 (D) those
- Why it’s correct (The Key): “Statistics” is a plural noun, and they are on the far right side of the whiteboard (far distance).
- Error Analysis: (A) “these” is a Meaning Trap. (B) “that” is a Structural Error. (C) “them” is a Common Mistake (“them statistics” is incorrect).
11 (A) that
- Why it’s correct (The Key): The projector is singular and hanging from the ceiling far above you (far distance).
- Error Analysis: (B) “this” is a Meaning Trap. (C) “those” is a Structural Error. (D) “he” is a Common Mistake.
12 (D) This
- Why it’s correct (The Key): The marker is singular and in your hand (near distance).
- Error Analysis: (A) “That” is a Meaning Trap. (B) “These” is a Structural Error. (C) “It” is a Common Mistake.
13 (B) those
- Why it’s correct (The Key): The diagrams are plural and across the room on the screen (far distance).
- Error Analysis: (A) “these” is a Meaning Trap. (D) “that” is a Structural Error. (C) “they” is a Common Mistake.
14 (B) This / those
- Why it’s correct (The Key): The board is singular and you are touching it (This). The blinds are plural and on the far window (those).
- Error Analysis: (A) “That / these” is a Meaning Trap. (D) “These / that” is a Structural Error. (C) “It / they” is a Common Mistake.
15 (C) that
- Why it’s correct (The Key): The title is singular and on the slide far away.
- Error Analysis: (A) “this” is a Meaning Trap. (D) “those” is a Structural Error. (B) “it” is a Common Mistake.
16 (B) this
- Why it’s correct (The Key): The remote is singular and in your hand (near).
- Error Analysis: (D) “that” is a Meaning Trap. (C) “these” is a Structural Error. (A) “it” is a Common Mistake.
17 (A) those
- Why it’s correct (The Key): The names are plural and on the screen (far distance).
- Error Analysis: (D) “these” is a Meaning Trap. (B) “that” is a Structural Error. (C) “them” is a Common Mistake.
18 (D) that
- Why it’s correct (The Key): The chart is singular and on the screen (far distance).
- Error Analysis: (B) “this” is a Meaning Trap. (A) “those” is a Structural Error. (C) “it” is a Common Mistake.
19 (A) this / those
- Why it’s correct (The Key): The speech is singular and in your hand (this). The agendas are plural and on the tables far away (those).
- Error Analysis: (B) “that / these” is a Meaning Trap. (C) “these / that” is a Structural Error. (D) “it / they” is a Common Mistake.
20 (C) those
- Why it’s correct (The Key): The sentences are plural and on the far screen.
- Error Analysis: (A) “these” is a Meaning Trap. (D) “that” is a Structural Error. (B) “they” is a Common Mistake.
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
- The Presenter’s Rule (Pointing from afar): When you are giving a presentation, the screen, the whiteboard, or the projector are usually far away from where you stand. Whenever you point to something on them to grab the audience’s attention, you must use That (for one item, like a chart or graph) or Those (for multiple items, like numbers or bullet points).
- Contrasting Near and Far: Use This / These only for things you are physically touching or holding during your speech (e.g., your laptop, your notes, your laser pointer, your marker).
- Beware of Pronouns before Nouns: Never use It, They, or Them directly in front of a noun. You cannot say “Look at it graph” or “Read them numbers”. You must use demonstrative adjectives (“Look at that graph”, “Read those numbers”).