Teach: Demonstrative Pronouns and Expressions of Possession

Demonstrative Pronouns and Expressions of Possession

Learn pronouns that point to things, such as “this,” “that,” and “those,” and noun forms that express possession, meaning “〜's.” These are basic expressions frequently used in conversation.

Basic Rules

Demonstrative pronouns are this / that / these / those. Choose them according to whether the thing is near (this / these) or far away (that / those), and whether it is singular (this / that) or plural (these / those). They can also come before a noun like an adjective, as in “this book.”
Possessive noun forms are made by adding 's after a noun (Tom's book = Tom's book). With nouns ending in the plural ending -s, add only ' (students' room = the students' room). This is especially common with proper nouns (people's names and country names) and living things (dog, friend, etc.). Of is also often used to show possession of things (the title of the book = the book's title).

Important Points

① This / that can be pronouns serving as the subject of a sentence, but they can also come before a noun like adjectives (this book = this book). Do not confuse these uses.
② Possessive 's: use 's with singular nouns (cat's tail); use only ' with plural nouns ending in -s (cats' tails); use 's with plural nouns that do not end in -s (children's books).
③ In expressions such as “the door of the room” and “Mary's bag,” of is generally used with inanimate things, while 's is used with living things, especially people. However, 's can also be used with things in expressions of time or place, such as “today's news” and “Japan's economy.”

Practice

1. Fill in the blank: ___ (those) students are very kind.
2. Write “This is my teacher's bag” in English (teacher = teacher).
3. Write “the last page of the book” in English using of.