Speaking: Grammar in Speaking A1 - Lesson 4: Using "this/that/these/those

Speaking: Grammar in Speaking A1

Using "this / that / these / those"

Listen to the examples here.

What you will learn: By the end of this lesson, you will be able to use "this", "that", "these", and "those" to point to objects near you and far from you.

Pointing with Words 👉 (Click 🔊)

In English, we use four special words to point to things. We choose the word based on two simple questions:

1. Is it near (here 👇) or far (over there 👉)?
2. Is it singular (one ☝️) or plural (more than one ✌️)?

This

📍 Singular & Near

This is my pen.

These

📍 Plural & Near

These are my pens.

That

➡️ Singular & Far

That is the clock.

Those

➡️ Plural & Far

Those are the clocks.

Pronunciation & Questions

🗣️ Pronunciation Focus: "this" vs. "these"

It's very important to pronounce the difference between "this" and "these". Click 🔊 to hear them.

• this has a short 'i' sound, like in 'is'. The sound is quick. (th-i-s)
• these has a long 'ee' sound, like in 'see'. The sound is longer. (th-ee-s)

Remember to use the voiced 'th' sound /ð/ for all four words (this, that, these, those), where your tongue touches your teeth and your voice vibrates.

💡 Asking Questions

Yes/No Questions

Just change the order: move 'is' or 'are' to the front.

• This is my bag. ➡ Is this your bag?
• Those are your keys. ➡ Are those your keys?

"What" Questions

• What's this? (For one thing near you)
• What are these? (For many things near you)
• What's that? (For one thing far from you)
• What are those? (For many things far from you)

Practice Pointing 🎯

Activity 1: Choose the Correct Word (Self-Check)

Read the situation and choose the correct pointing word. Click your choice to see if you are right!

Activity 2: Make it a Question

Change these statements into questions. Practice saying them out loud. Click 🔊 to hear the statement and the question.

• Statement: That is your teacher.
  → You say: "Is that your teacher?"
• Statement: These are your books.
  → You say: "Are these your books?"

Vocabulary

• near / far | នៅជិត / នៅឆ្ងាយ
  Close to you / Not close to you.
• singular / plural | ឯកវចនៈ / ពហុវចនៈ
  Meaning only one / Meaning more than one.
• this / these | នេះ / ទាំងនេះ
  Used for one thing near you / more than one thing near you.
• that / those | នោះ / ទាំងនោះ
  Used for one thing far from you / more than one thing far from you.
• pen | ប៊ិច
  Something you use to write with ink.
• clock | នាឡិកា (ព្យួរ)
  Something on the wall that shows the time.
• shoes | ស្បែកជើង
  Things you wear on your feet.
• cow | គោ
  A large farm animal.

Your Grammar Mission ⭐

This week, your mission is to practice pointing with words.

1. In your classroom or home, find one object near you and say, "This is a..."
2. Point to one object far from you and say, "That is a..."
3. Find some plural objects (more than one) near you and say, "These are..."
4. Point to some plural objects far from you and say, "Those are..."

Try using the real objects around you!