This (s), this (s) or that (s)? Are there specific rules for using them?
Believe it... yes there are. As you know, almost all elements belonging to the Portuguese language are related to them. In this way, do you really use them correctly in your texts? Don't worry, because the objective of our study is exactly to understand how we can actually make use of these pronouns, without fear of making mistakes. So pay attention to some details:
You know that demonstrative pronouns indicate the position of beings, especially in relation to space, such as:
These school objects are mine.
We have the impression that the objects are close to the person who is currently speaking.
So, when the being (be it a person, an object, an animal, among others) is close to the person who speaks, we always use the pronouns: this (s) – this (s) - this. See other examples:
This is the backpack I got for my birthday.
This here doesn't belong to you.
Now, in case we said:
This was not the game chosen by the participants.
Is the object close to the person speaking or the person listening? If you chose the second option, you made the correct choice, because if the being is close to the person we are talking to, it is always recommended to use the pronouns: this (s) – this (s) – this. Note a few more cases:
This sandal will not look good on you.
What's in there is useless.
And when we say something related to:
Our! That new kid seems to be pretty smart.
We can see here that the boy is not even close to the speaker or the listener, isn't that true?
Whenever we reach this conclusion, the ideal is to use the following pronouns: that (s) – that (s) – that. As:
That girl is my cousin.
Did you see that? What a horrible thing!!!
See how easy it is? So show that you are wise in this matter and exercise your knowledge whenever necessary.
By Vânia Duarte
Graduated in Letters
Kids School Team
