Lesson 14. Demonstratives
In this lesson you'll learn how to use the English demonstrative adjectives and pronouns (this and that). You'll also learn how to use infinitives, gerunds, and the verb phrases to be supposed to and used to.
At the end of this lesson is chapter 5 of the story "Ana and Alejandro's Adventures in Vancouver". In this chapter, Ana and Alejandro start their first day of English school.
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Grammar Focus
Demonstrative Adjectives and Pronouns
Demonstrative Adjectives are used to talk about specific things and people. There are two demonstrative adjectives in English, this and that. When comparing objects, this is used to describe the object or event nearer in distance or time, and that is used for the object or event further away in distance or time. A demonstrative pronoun comes before the noun it describes.
Demonstrative pronouns are the same as the demonstrative adjectives, except they take the place of a noun in a sentence.
The following table shows the demonstrative adjectives and pronouns.
| Singular | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| near | this | these |
| far | that | those |
Examples
| That idea is great! | Demonstrative adjective |
| That is a great idea! | Demonstrative pronoun |
| This book is better than that book. | Demonstrative adjectives |
| This is better than that. | Demonstrative pronouns |
| Those apples taste good. | demonstrative adjective |
| These apples are better than those. | Demonstrative adjective and demonstrative pronoun |
Infinitives
An infinitive is a form of a verb used in several situations in English.
- as a complement of another verb.
Examples: I want to hear. I can go. - as a noun phrase that expresses an action in an abstract way.
Example: To err is human. - as a modifier of a noun or adjective.
Examples: I don't know what to do. This is the way to do it.
The word to often comes before the verb in the infinitive form. When an infinitve follows certain verbs, such as can, will, shall, may, and do, the infinitive only consists of the base of the verb.
Examples
| I want to go. | Ich möchte gehen. |
| I will go. | Ich will gehen. |
| I need to find my jacket. | Ich muss meine Jacke finden. |
| Don't tell me what to think. | Sagen Sie mir nicht, was ich denken soll. |
| They should do it. | Sie sollten es tun. |
| Can you speak English? | Können Sie Englisch sprechen? |
Gerunds
A gerund is a noun that is made from a verb by adding ing to the end of the infinitive form of the verb. If the infinitive of the verb ends in a single e, the e is usually dropped.
| Verb | Noun |
|---|---|
| read | reading |
| talk | talking |
| go | going |
| race | racing |
| be | being |
| see | seeing |
| take | taking |
Examples
| Reading is one way to become smarter. | Lesen ist eine Möglichkeit, schlauer zu werden. |
| Talking about it will help. | Darüber zu sprechen, wird helfen. |
| I think swimming is great exercise. | Ich finde, Schwimmen ist eine gute Übung. |
| She says giving is better than receiving. | Sie sagt, geben ist besser als nehmen. |
| They helped by bringing drinks for everyone. | Sie halfen, indem sie Getränke für alle mitbrachten. |
| Speaking another language is very rewarding. | Eine andere Sprache zu sprechen ist sehr lohnend. |
To Be Supposed To
The verb phrase to be supposed to expresses expectation, obligation, or what is believed to be true.
Examples
| Mary is supposed to study for her exam. | Mary soll für ihre Prüfung lernen. |
| We are supposed to paint the house today. | Wir sollen heute das Haus streichen. |
| You are not supposed to tell anyone. | Sie dürfen es niemandem erzählen. |
| Am I supposed to do it? | Soll ich es tun? |
| You were supposed to do it. | Du solltest es tun. |
| The teacher was supposed to explain it to us. | Der Lehrer sollte es uns erklären. |
Used To
Used to has several different meanings. This section covers each of its uses.
1) To be used to means to be accustomed to, or to be familiar with. For example:
| I am used to the warm weather. | Ich bin an das warme Wetter gewöhnt. |
| I’m used to leaving work late. | Ich bin es gewohnt, spät von der Arbeit zu kommen. |
| He is used to the noise of the traffic. | Er ist an den Lärm des Verkehrs gewöhnt. |
2) When used to follows a noun or pronoun it means an action was repeated in the past, but does not currently happen. For example:
| I used to drive to work, but now I walk to work. | Früher bin ich mit dem Auto zur Arbeit gefahren, aber jetzt gehe ich zu Fuß zur Arbeit. |
| I used to put two teaspoons of sugar in my coffee, but now I don’t put any sugar in. | Früher habe ich zwei Teelöffel Zucker in meinen Kaffee getan, aber jetzt tue ich gar keinen Zucker mehr hinein. |
| They used to visit almost every weekend, but now that they’ve moved away, we rarely ever see them. | Früher kamen sie fast jedes Wochenende zu Besuch, aber jetzt, wo sie weggezogen sind, sehen wir sie nur noch selten. |
3) Used to can also be the past tense of the verb phrase use to. For example:
| What did you use to fix it? I used a hammer to fix it. | Womit haben Sie es repariert? Ich habe einen Hammer benutzt, um es zu reparieren. |
| What do they use the apples for? They use them to make apple pie. | Wozu werden die Äpfel verwendet? Sie backen damit Apfelkuchen. |
| We used it to store our extra clothes. | Wir nutzten ihn, um unsere zusätzliche Kleidung aufzubewahren. |
Story: A New Life in Vancouver
Vocabulary
| early | früh |
| excited | aufgeregt |
| nervous | nervös |
| school | Schule |
| international | international |
| students | studenten |
| hallway | Flur |
| teacher | Lehrer |
| classroom | Klassenzimmer |
| classmates | Klassenkameraden |
| to practice | zu üben |
| favorite | Lieblings |
Chapter 5: First Day of School
On Monday morning, Ana and Alejandro wake up early. It is their first day at English school in Vancouver. They are excited but also a little nervous.
“Do you have your notebook?” Ana asks.
“Yes,” Alejandro says. “Do you have your student card?”
Ana checks her bag. “Yes, I have it.”
They take the bus to the school. When they arrive, many students are standing outside. They hear people speaking Spanish, Korean, Japanese, Portuguese, and many other languages.
“It’s so international,” Ana says.
Inside the school, a friendly woman at the front desk smiles at them. “Good morning. Are you new students?”
“Yes, we are,” Ana says.
“Great. Please go to Room 204 for your placement test.”
They walk down the hallway and enter the room. A teacher gives them a short test to check their English level. After the test, the teacher says, “You will both be in the A2 class. Your classroom is Room 110.”
They go to Room 110 and meet their classmates. There are students from Brazil, Mexico, Korea, Turkey, and Italy. Everyone looks friendly.
The teacher, Ms. Carter, walks in. “Good morning, everyone. Welcome to class.”
She writes her name on the board and begins the lesson. They practice introductions, simple conversations, and vocabulary about daily life.
During the break, Alejandro talks to a student from Japan.
“Hi, I’m Alejandro,” he says.
“I’m Yuki,” the student replies. “Nice to meet you.”
They talk about Vancouver, the weather, and their favorite foods.
After class, Ana says, “I really like this school. The teacher is nice.”
“Yeah,” Alejandro says. “And I made a new friend.”
They walk outside into the warm afternoon sun, feeling happy about their first day.
Lesson Quiz
Part 1 - This and That
Use the correct form of the demostrative adjective in parentheses
Example
Question: _____ shoes are very muddy. (that)
Answer: Those shoes are very muddy.
Part 2 - Infinitive
Use the correct form of the infinitive for the verb in parentheses
Example
Question: I need _____ to the store. (go)
Answer: I need to go to the store.
Part 3 - Gerund
Fill in the blank with the gerund of the verb in parentheses
Example
Question: Only by _____ will you get good results. (try)
Answer: Only by trying will you get good results.
