demostratives

Demostratives are a class of words used to point out or indicate specific items, people, or places. They are often used to provide additional information about a noun or pronoun, specifying which one is being referred to. In English, the most common demostratives are "this," "that," "these," and "those." These words are used to indicate proximity or distance in both space and time.

"This" and "these" are used to refer to things that are close to the speaker or the person being spoken to. For example, "This book is interesting" refers to a book that is close to the speaker, while "These books are interesting" refers to multiple books that are close.

"That" and "those" are used to refer to things that are farther away from the speaker or the person being spoken to. For example, "That book is interesting" refers to a book that is not close to the speaker, while "Those books are interesting" refers to multiple books that are not close.

Demostratives can also be used to refer to time. "This morning" refers to the current morning, while "that morning" refers to a morning that has already passed. Similarly, "these days" refers to the current period, while "those days" refers to a period in the past.

Demostratives are an essential part of language, as they help to clarify and specify what is being referred to. They are used in both spoken and written language and are found in many languages around the world.