Demonstrative Pronouns

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Worksheet 1, Demonstratives -- This, That, These, Those, 7 Exercises
Worksheet 2, Demonstratives -- This, That, These, Those, 14 Exercises

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The Problem

The demonstratives this, that, these, and those can make your writing easy to read or difficult. They can also provide the emphasis that you as a writer want to make. The word this, especially, can be confusing if it is used carelessly at the beginning of a sentence.

A Demonstrative Pronoun at the Beginning of a Sentence May Lack Clarity

Potentially Unclear: The little league baseball team refused to shake hands with the opposing team after a lopsided loss. This set a bad example for the players on both the losing team and the winning team.

In this sentence, the demonstrative word this is used as a pronoun.

Clearer: The little league baseball team refused to shake hands with the opposing team after a lopsided loss. This poor sportsmanship set a bad example for the players on both the losing team and the winning team.

In this revision, the demonstrative word this is used as an adjective, modifying "poor sportsmanship."

Is "This" at the Beginning of a Sentence Correct?

The short answer is YES.

Some writers may look at the first sentence and think, "There's nothing wrong with the sentence," and they would be correct. There is nothing grammatically wrong. The word this is a demonstrative pronoun and serves as the subject of the sentence.

It's a Question of Clarity and Precision

But in using only the pronoun this, the writer forces the reader to "fill in" the concept that is being referred to. Make things easy for your reader and communicate your intention or emphasis as a writer clearly.

Notice that there are many terms that a reader can use to "fill in" the concept after this: bad behavior, refusal, petulance, immaturity.... Which one do you, as a writer, want to emphasize?

A General Rule

General Rule: When you start a sentence with a demonstrative pronoun (this, that, these, and those, especially this), make sure that the next word (or words) is a noun that defines the idea in the previous sentence. In other words, turn the demonstrative pronoun into an adjective.

A Final Example

Potentially Unclear: The football coach did not collect signed permission forms from the parents, forgot to request the playing field, and failed to schedule the school bus for use as transportation. This prompted the principal to reprimand the coach.

The reader knows that the pronoun this in the second sentence refers to "all those things that the coach did not do." The concept is fairly obvious. However, a careful writer identifies the concept and creates an emphasis or connotation that the reader may not "fill in." Does the writer mean these lapses, this neglect, this irresponsibility, these minor oversights (note the emphasis), these intolerable mistakes?

Clearer: The football coach did not collect signed permission forms from the parents, forgot to request the playing, and failed to schedule the school bus for use as transportation. These minor oversights prompted the principal to reprimand the coach.

Links for the Use of Demonstratives

I did not find much material in the use of demonstratives as a stylistic tool. Most web pages dealing with "demonstrative pronouns" or "demonstratives" were for students of ESL, not high school or college compostion. If you can find better links than there are below on this topic, please let me know.

  • Capital Community College

    Scroll down to the section on Demonstrative Pronouns.

  • About.com

    The material is brief, but it may be useful.

  • Wise Geek

    This (sometimes a demonstrtive pronoun makes perfect sense!) is the best discussion of demonstratives and writing style that I could find on the web.

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