70 English Grammar Demystifi ed
On the other hand, that clauses are critical to the meaning of a sentence:
The dress that Avi designed sold the most.The word that tells who designed the dress that sold the most.
The computer that is on Inga’s desk is the next to be updated.The word that tells which computer of all the ones in the offi ce is next to be
updated.
Demonstrative Pronouns
That, those, these, and this are pronouns that point to the thing being talked about.
Again, the demonstrative pronoun has to be able to take the place of a noun, just as
all pronouns do. In some contexts, however, the demonstrative pronoun does the job
of an adjective; it describes the noun. For example:
Those are my choices for the dinner menu. (Those means the same as the word
choices and can stand in for it.)Other examples:
Pronoun:This is my new computer. (This means the same as the word
computer and can stand in for it.)Adjective:This computer has so much more memory. (This describes computer
and acts like an adjective.)Written Practice 3-11
For each of the following sentences, decide whether the demonstrative pronoun
functions as a pronoun or an adjective.
- These are the CDs I just bought.
- Those CDs were not my fi rst choice.