Telephoning

This is Tom here Is that you, Elizabeth?

7.4 This' = 'here' In this school/firm/house we like punctuality

7.5 'Pointing' to people, etc.: contrast 777/s boy wants tea and that one wants milk These boys are in class 1 and those are in 2 Take this home and give these to Caroline

7.6 Demonstrating (with gestures) He went that way Do it like this/that

7.7 Forward and backward reference Only this can be used for forward reference

This is how you do it Press this button Compare backward reference

He was very late This/That delayed us These and those are never used, even if more than one event is referred to

/ broke my leg and my sister's house burnt

down - When did this/that happen⁷

7.8 Story-telling, narration (informal)
This sometimes replaces a/an to make a story
sound more amusing or interesting and to
show that the narrator will explain more

There was this Frenchman who went to a cricket match

7.9 Time references [> App 48]
/'// see you this afternoon

These days life is hard for old people

I was born in 1935 In those days there was

no TV At that time my father was a miner

7.10 Comparisons
$500? It cost a lot more than that'

In formal use, that of and those of sometimes replace a noun with of

The area of the USA is larger than that of

Brazil

Tom's essays are better than those of the

other boys

7.11 Contrast This is my car and that is John's