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 in a classroom or office where many items have been left behind. You pick up items to ask who they belong to (near/zero distance), and you point to your own items resting in the corner or across the room (far distance).
1 Holding a single pen you just picked up from the floor: “Excuse me, whose pen is ______?”
(A) it
(B) this
(C) that
(D) these
2 Pointing to your two heavy bags resting in the far corner of the room: “______ are my bags over there.”
(A) Those
(B) These
(C) They
(D) That
3 Holding two notebooks in your hands: “Did anyone lose some notes? Are ______ your notebooks?”
(A) they
(B) those
(C) this
(D) these
4 Pointing to a winter coat hanging on the wall across the room: “Is ______ your coat on the wall?”
(A) these
(B) the
(C) that
(D) this
5 Picking up a phone from the shared desk: “Is ______ phone yours, or is it mine?”
(A) this
(B) that
(C) these
(D) it
6 Holding a set of keys, and pointing to a backpack on the sofa far away: “I found ______ keys here on the table, but ______ backpack on the sofa is mine.”
(A) that / this
(B) these / that
(C) this / those
(D) they / it
7 Holding a wet umbrella you found near the door: “Does ______ umbrella belong to anyone here?”
(A) that
(B) it
(C) these
(D) this
8 Pointing to a pair of shoes left by the back door across the room: “I think ______ shoes belong to the teacher.”
(A) those
(B) them
(C) these
(D) that
9 Holding a single winter glove in your right hand: “I only found ______ glove on the desk. Where is the other one?”
(A) this
(B) that
(C) these
(D) it
10 Holding a pair of reading glasses you picked up from a chair: “Whose glasses are ______?”
(A) this
(B) they
(C) those
(D) these
11 Pointing to a laptop left on a desk at the back of the classroom: “Please don’t touch ______ laptop; it’s broken.”
(A) that
(B) this
(C) those
(D) it
12 Holding a leather wallet you just found on the floor: “Excuse me, did you drop ______ wallet?”
(A) these
(B) this
(C) that
(D) it
13 Holding a scarf, and pointing to a pair of boots by the far window: “Is ______ scarf yours? Because ______ boots by the window are definitely mine.”
(A) this / that
(B) that / these
(C) this / those
(D) it / they
14 Holding a thick stack of printed documents in your hand: “Are ______ documents important, or can I throw them away?”
(A) these
(B) this
(C) those
(D) them
15 Holding a pair of scissors you found under your chair: “Who left ______ scissors under my chair?”
(A) this
(B) that
(C) these
(D) they
16 Pointing to scattered papers on the far table near the exit: “Who left ______ papers over there?”
(A) those
(B) these
(C) them
(D) that
17 Holding an empty water bottle, pointing to some lunchboxes on the back table: “______ bottle in my hand is empty, but ______ lunchboxes on the back table are full.”
(A) That / these
(B) This / those
(C) It / they
(D) These / those
18 Holding a small wireless computer mouse: “Is ______ your wireless mouse? I found it on the floor.”
(A) that
(B) this
(C) these
(D) it
19 Pointing to two identical jackets hanging on the coat rack across the hallway: “______ jackets look identical, but I know mine is the blue one.”
(A) Those
(B) These
(C) They
(D) That
20 Holding some headphones, and pointing to a charger on the teacher’s desk far away: “I will take ______ headphones with me, and I will leave ______ charger on the teacher’s desk.”
(A) these / that
(B) those / this
(C) this / those
(D) them / it
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (B) this
- Why it’s correct (The Key): You are physically holding the pen (singular, zero distance).
- Error Analysis: (A) “it” is a Common Mistake (“whose pen is it” is often used in spoken English, but when pointing/holding an item to verify ownership, a demonstrative is required). (D) “these” is a Structural Error (pen is singular). (C) “that” is a Meaning Trap (wrong distance).
2 (A) Those
- Why it’s correct (The Key): The bags are plural and resting in the “far corner of the room”.
- Error Analysis: (B) “These” is a Meaning Trap (wrong distance). (D) “That” is a Structural Error (bags is plural). (C) “They” is a Common Mistake (“They are my bags over there” lacks the pointing function of “Those”).
3 (D) these
- Why it’s correct (The Key): The notebooks are plural and in your hands.
- Error Analysis: (B) “those” is a Meaning Trap. (C) “this” is a Structural Error. (A) “they” is a Common Mistake.
4 (C) that
- Why it’s correct (The Key): The coat is singular and “across the room”.
- Error Analysis: (D) “this” is a Meaning Trap. (A) “these” is a Structural Error. (B) “the” is a Common Mistake (fails to point out which coat).
5 (A) this
- Why it’s correct (The Key): You picked up the phone, so it is singular and in your hand.
- Error Analysis: (B) “that” is a Meaning Trap. (C) “these” is a Structural Error. (D) “it” is a Common Mistake (“it phone” is incorrect grammar).
6 (B) these / that
- Why it’s correct (The Key): “Keys” (plural) are in your hand (these). The “backpack” (singular) is on the sofa far away (that).
- Error Analysis: (A) “that / this” is a Meaning Trap (reverses distance completely). (C) “this / those” is a Structural Error (keys are plural, backpack is singular). (D) “they / it” is a Common Mistake.
7 (D) this
- Why it’s correct (The Key): The umbrella is singular and in your hand.
- Error Analysis: (A) “that” is a Meaning Trap. (C) “these” is a Structural Error. (B) “it” is a Common Mistake.
8 (A) those
- Why it’s correct (The Key): Shoes are plural and “across the room”.
- Error Analysis: (C) “these” is a Meaning Trap. (D) “that” is a Structural Error. (B) “them” is a Common Mistake (“them shoes” is wrong).
9 (A) this
- Why it’s correct (The Key): The glove is singular and in your hand.
- Error Analysis: (B) “that” is a Meaning Trap. (C) “these” is a Structural Error. (D) “it” is a Common Mistake.
10 (D) these
- Why it’s correct (The Key): “Glasses” is always a plural noun, and they are in your hands.
- Error Analysis: (C) “those” is a Meaning Trap. (A) “this” is a Structural Error. (B) “they” is a Common Mistake.
11 (A) that
- Why it’s correct (The Key): The laptop is singular and at the back of the classroom (far).
- Error Analysis: (B) “this” is a Meaning Trap. (C) “those” is a Structural Error. (D) “it” is a Common Mistake.
12 (B) this
- Why it’s correct (The Key): The wallet is singular and in your hand.
- Error Analysis: (C) “that” is a Meaning Trap. (A) “these” is a Structural Error. (D) “it” is a Common Mistake.
13 (C) this / those
- Why it’s correct (The Key): The scarf is singular and in hand (this). The boots are plural and by the far window (those).
- Error Analysis: (B) “that / these” is a Meaning Trap (reverses distance). (A) “this / that” is a Structural Error (“that boots” is wrong). (D) “it / they” is a Common Mistake.
14 (A) these
- Why it’s correct (The Key): The documents are plural and in your hand.
- Error Analysis: (C) “those” is a Meaning Trap. (B) “this” is a Structural Error. (D) “them” is a Common Mistake.
15 (C) these
- Why it’s correct (The Key): “Scissors” is always a plural noun, and they are in your hand.
- Error Analysis: (B) “that” is a Meaning Trap. (A) “this” is a Structural Error (learners often think one tool = singular). (D) “they” is a Common Mistake.
16 (A) those
- Why it’s correct (The Key): Papers are plural and on the far table.
- Error Analysis: (B) “these” is a Meaning Trap. (D) “that” is a Structural Error. (C) “them” is a Common Mistake.
17 (B) This / those
- Why it’s correct (The Key): The bottle is singular and in hand (This). The lunchboxes are plural and on the back table (those).
- Error Analysis: (A) “That / these” is a Meaning Trap (reverses distance). (D) “These / those” is a Structural Error (“These bottle” is wrong). (C) “It / they” is a Common Mistake.
18 (B) this
- Why it’s correct (The Key): The mouse is singular and in your hand.
- Error Analysis: (A) “that” is a Meaning Trap. (C) “these” is a Structural Error. (D) “it” is a Common Mistake.
19 (A) Those
- Why it’s correct (The Key): The jackets are plural and across the hallway (far).
- Error Analysis: (B) “These” is a Meaning Trap. (D) “That” is a Structural Error. (C) “They” is a Common Mistake.
20 (A) these / that
- Why it’s correct (The Key): Headphones are always plural and in hand (these). The charger is singular and far away (that).
- Error Analysis: (B) “those / this” is a Meaning Trap (reverses distance). (C) “this / those” is a Structural Error (“this headphones” is wrong). (D) “them / it” is a Common Mistake.
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
- The Holding vs. Pointing Rule: * When you pick up a lost item to ask whose it is, the distance is zero. You must use This (for singular items) or These (for plural items).
- When you establish your territory by pointing to your belongings in the corner or across the room, you must use That (singular) or Those (plural).
- Beware of “Plural-Only” Items: Many personal belongings are always plural in English because they have two parts. This includes glasses, sunglasses, headphones, scissors, shoes, boots, gloves (when referring to a pair). Even if you hold ONE pair of glasses, you MUST say: “Whose glasses are these?” (Never use this).
- The “It / They” Trap: When verifying ownership while holding an object, do not use personal pronouns as adjectives. For example, never say “Is it wallet yours?” or “Are they keys yours?”. You must use demonstratives: “Is this wallet yours?” or “Are these keys yours?”.