Are there only four demonstrative pronouns this, that, these, and those in English, or are there more like thik which is a variation of this and that? Answer “Hither, page, and stand by me If thou know’st it, telling Yonder peasant, who is he? Where and what his dwelling?” “Sire, he lives a good league … Read more
I know of at least one language (German, although it’s considered old-fashioned nowadays) where it’s possible to combine demonstrative and possessive pronoun: Diese deine Worte sind wahr. These your words are true. I’ve never seen a construct like this in English. Is it even possible? Answer Rally Round the Flag When an English sailor, one … Read more
In spoken American English, often times people who are telling a story use the determiner "this" not as a demonstrative, but rather as a word that serves to emphasize the impact of something. Examples: "I go inside and I see this beautiful girl…" "We were in the woods and then this huge bear appears…" "When … Read more
A teacher sent home a list of assignments with a cover letter explaining, “These are not homework.” “This is not homework,” or “These pages are not homework,” sound equally normal to me, but “These are not homework,” just sounds weird. Is it correct grammar? … I don’t agree that the question: ‘Agreement in “[Singular Noun] … Read more
So, the question that’s always been bugging me is: What is the proper usage of “This” and “That”, not when it comes to objects or things, but when it comes to concepts. For example, there’s a paragraph that goes in a way that’s similar to this: “Coconuts kill a small number of people every year, … Read more
I am studying English and I would like to know the difference about "this" and "that" at this phrase translating to Portuguese. In the image, the subject held the watch and said "that", so I was in doubt. How much is that watch? – Quanto é esse relógio? How much is this watch? – Quanto … Read more
I have some doubts about the meaning of ‘the’ and ‘that’ in the following two constructions: The house over there is mine. That house over there is mine. Is there any difference in meaning between ‘the’ and ‘that’ here? Or are they interchangeable? Answer If there is only one house over there, then they are … Read more
I am writing a description for our product to present in a small demonstration next week. I’ve built a system that serves people to save time and utilize/optimize their work. I intend to write about that system like “a large, complicated and intelligent system”, but I feel it’s quite non-sense, rough and not attractive much … Read more
Consider a context like the following: There was a time when the United Kingdom and France were the world’s foremost political powers, heading empires that spanned every continent. These two nations were at the forefront of the arts and technology. Th_se days are over. Now the United States and China share most of the economic … Read more
Is there a genitive form of the word this in English? For example: The color of it -> Its color The color of this -> ? Answer This, that, etc. are demonstrative pronouns and thus don’t have genitive forms. The genitive case would be attached to the noun that you are demonstrating, e.g. “This thing’s … Read more
