What Is a Demonstrative Adjective?

If you are wondering, what is a demonstrative adjective, you are probably curious about what it is, how it functions grammatically, and how to use it properly.  Demonstrative adjectives are primarily adjectives, and they point out the words omitted in a sentence or emphasize their importance.

What Is a Demonstrative Adjective

These adjectives have a special, simple function within the English language: they help indicate a noun and are within close proximity of that noun in a sentence. They are especially helpful when you want to make it clear which noun (which thing) you would like to talk about. 

With these adjectives, you can be sure that the listener knows that you want to talk about “this cat with the stripes, not that one with the spots” and that you want to wear “this hat with the plaid, and not that one with the brim.” You can even just use them to emphasize which object you are talking about: “that pie was delicious!” 

What Are the Common Demonstrative Adjectives

The primary singular form of these adjectives are as follows: 

• This
• That
• Yonder
• Yon
• Former
• Latter

The plural demonstrative adjectives include:

• These
• Those

Demonstrative Adjective Example

Here are some examples, with a sentence that features a demonstrative adjective. After the sentence, the adjective is indicated by parentheses.

• These shoes fit me very well. (these)
• Those shoes are too expensive.  (those)
• The former CEO of Biztech was Michael Rogers. (former)
• The latter option will cost us a lot less money. (latter)
• This is the best day of my life. (this)
• That dog is so adorable. (that)

Special Pairs of Demonstrative Adjectives

The aforementioned adjectives are certainly not the only ones in the English language. Others include the pairs “the one” (sometimes just “one”) and “the other,” and “the former” and “the latter.” These words are used to refer to two things that have already been named in a sentence. Here are some examples of these special pairs of demonstrative adjectives in sentences.

• On the one hand, I had lots of homework to do, but on the other hand, the weather outside was too nice to keep me inside. (the one – the other).
• The two options included buying a new house or renting a new apartment, the former option being preferable to the family, but the latter option being a lot less expensive. (former – latter).

How Can Numbers be Demonstrative Adjectives?

If you are wondering, what is a demonstrative adjective that looks like a number, you are probably thinking of ordinal numbers. Although these adjectives are used in our daily lives, we often do not think of them as demonstrative adjectives because they seem like numbers to us. These are the adjectives that follow from “first, second, third, fourth, fifth…” and increase over time. 

There are an infinite number of these adjectives. You can usually pick one that represents a number because, with a few exceptions, these are the ones that end in –th. These special adjectives are called ordinal numbers.

Let’s look at a few examples: the sentences showcase an ordinal number in action that is functioning like other demonstrative adjectives, and after the sentence, the ordinal number is indicated in parentheses. 

• The first paycheck I received was for $500.  (first)
• The seventh day of the week is Sunday. (seventh)
• In the late nineteenth century, the Civil War in the United States was fought. (nineteenth)
• After my third piece of pizza, I was stuffed. (third)
• For her fiftieth birthday party, we bought my mother a cake. (fiftieth)

Demonstrative adjectives are very simple to use and are common in the written and spoken English language. If you are still asking, what is a demonstrative adjective, consider looking at a grammar textbook and reading through the definitions and examples of them in action.