Demonstrative Adjectives

Section 11.4.1.1

Demonstrative Adjectives

Demonstrative adjectives are special adjectives ordeterminers used to identify or express the relativeposition of a noun in time or space. A demonstrative adjective comes before allother adjectives in the noun phrase. Some commondemonstrative adjectives are this, that, these, and those.

The results of research done with high-altitude aircraft flights showedsignificant amounts of ozone being destroyed outside the main hole, suggestingthat the area of ozone loss may be considerably greater than once thought. Furthermore, this same research revealed that ozonedestruction begins earlier in the year than expected.

--C. Donald Ahrens, Meteorology Today (modified)

Use this/that with singular nouns andthese/those with plural nouns.

Unacceptable

Although not everything is known about the reactions that take place amonghydrocarbons and other gases, it is believed that thisreactions disrupt the normal mechanism for ozone removal, and so theconcentration of ozone is able to increase.

Acceptable

Although not everything is known about the reactions that take place amonghydrocarbons and other gases, it is believed that thesereactions disrupt the normal mechanism for ozone removal, and so theconcentration of ozone is able to increase.

--C. Donald Ahrens, Meteorology Today

You can sometimes use demonstrative adjectives as demonstrative pronouns.

These tools are delicate. [demonstrativeadjective]

These are delicate. [demonstrative pronoun]

However, take care that you do not create broad pronounreference.

## Demonstrative Adjectives ##

Copyright ©2001 The McGraw-Hill Companies. Any use is subject to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. McGraw-Hill Higher Education is one of the many fine businesses of
The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc..