"This," "that," "these," and "those" are demonstrative pronouns that replace nouns while specifying their nature in terms of quantity and immediacy. When these words come before a noun, they are demonstrative adjectives. "This" refers to a singular object that is close or more relevant, immediate, or accessible to the speaker, while "that" indicates a singular object that is further removed.

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In the following two sentences, "this" and "that" each replace a noun, and are therefore being used as demonstrative pronouns. 

This is where the most important items are discussed with the team

Caption 9, Agile workflow: in simplified terms

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That's a very nice hotel.

Caption 21, A Weekend in Amsterdam: Planning the Trip

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We do not know where the discussion was held, or which hotel is being referred to, but we can assume that these locations were provided in an previous sentence. 

Here are both words used as demonstrative adjectives, which essentially answer the question "Which?" and provide specificity and clarity.

I have this red pen and this blue pen.

Caption 7, Abiventures: Organizing

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You think you're so smart with that blanket.

Caption 7, A Charlie Brown Christmas: Snowflakes

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The word "these" is the plural form of "this," and is used for multiple items that are more immediate or relevant. "Those" is the plural form of "that."Something that is described as "this" might be right in your hand. Nouns specified with "that" might be an alternative, not the most logical choice, or something you don't have access to. 

And I'm just trying to brainstorm how can I use these in my creative filmmaking process.

Captions 8-9, Abiventures: Papers

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And those are made of elementary particles.

Caption 10, In a Nutshell What Is Something?

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And here we have our plural demonstrative adjectives: 

So, if you observe these writing rules, your letter will be easy to read.

Caption 12, Business Life: Cover Letter

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I would have seen those keys in the grocery bag.

Caption 43, Parts of Speech: Modal Verbs - Part 4

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Further Learning
You will find hundreds of examples of "this," "that," "these," and "those" on Yabla English.

Let's talk today about office supplies that we use in the workplace and at school. Some words, like "ballpoint pen," you probably know already, but let's take a look at some items that may be new to your vocabulary.

Who, from what I hear, needs to keep his stapler in his desk drawer.

Caption 39, New Year's Resolutions: Friends

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The Merriam-Webster dictionary describes a stapler as "a small usually hand-operated device for inserting wire staples." A stapler looks like this!

I have a brown tape, a paper tape, and this clear tape.

Caption 25, Abiventures: Organizing

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The tape described above is adhesive tape, which usually comes in rolls and has a band of plastic or paper that is sticky on one side.

What's this envelope? Is this a wedding invitation?

Caption 3, How I Met Your Mother: Douche-pocalypse

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An envelope is the folded paper holder in which you send and receive letters—the part of a letter that has the address on it.

My green pencil... My red pencil... My yellow pencil.

Captions 44-46, David and Red: in England

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A pencil is, of course, a writing instrument, usually made of wood with a graphite center. They are sometimes called "lead pencils," because in ancient times, people sometimes wrote with sticks of lead. Pencils that are other colors, such as those in the video above, are called "colored pencils."

I'm cutting this string with my scissors,

Caption 12, The Alphabet: The Letter C

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In English, unlike many other languages, the noun "scissors" is always plural. Thus you say "The scissors are..." and never "The scissors is..." The word "scissor," without the -s ending, can be a verb or an adjective, however.

Further Learning
Go to Yabla English and watch the videos above to get a better overview of the words you just learned!