Fixed Expressions — That's Right, Like This, That's It — English Grammar Exercises
This book? That one? These shoes or those? 52 exercises on near and far, singular and plural, time and fixed expressions.
Fixed Expressions with This and That
English contains a productive class of fixed idiomatic expressions built around demonstratives. Unlike the core near/far system, these expressions are formulaic — their demonstrative cannot be substituted without changing meaning or producing an unnatural sentence. The most frequent are: that's right (agreement), that's it (finished), that's why (reason), like this (demonstrating the correct way), like that (referring to someone's behaviour or a different way), and don't be like that (disapproval of attitude). Learner errors in this area typically involve substituting 'this' for 'that' in back-reference expressions ('This's right' for 'That's right') or confusing 'like this' and 'like that' when demonstrating a technique.
Expressions with 'That'
I'm going to sleep. That's it for today. (finished)
That's why I don't trust him. (reason based on prior context)
Don't be like that. It's rude. (disapproval of attitude)
Expressions with 'This'
Hold the racket like this. No, not like that! (this = correct way; that = what you were doing)
Quick Reference
That's it → Finished / Nothing more
That's why → The reason is...
Like this → In this way (demonstrating)
Like that → In that way (referring to behaviour or a different method)
Common Mistakes
✗ Do it like that. (while demonstrating) → ✓ Do it like this. ('like this' = showing the correct method)
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between this, that, these, and those?
The four demonstratives divide along two axes: distance and number. 'This' (singular, near) and 'these' (plural, near) refer to things close to the speaker. 'That' (singular, far) and 'those' (plural, far) refer to things away from the speaker. Near and far can be physical — 'this book in my hand' vs 'that building across the river' — or conceptual, as in time references and back-reference to things already said.
When do you use 'this' vs 'that' on the phone?
On the phone, 'this is...' identifies the caller: 'Hello, this is Sarah speaking.' To ask who the other person is, say 'Is that Maria?' — because the other person is experienced as distant. A common learner error is 'That is Dr. Smith calling', which should be 'This is Dr. Smith calling'. The rule: use 'this' to introduce yourself and 'that' to refer to the person on the other end.
What is the difference between 'these days' and 'those days'?
'These days' refers to the present period: 'These days everyone uses a smartphone.' It is equivalent to 'nowadays'. 'Those days' refers to a past period the speaker is looking back on: 'In those days, people wrote letters.' A common mistake is using 'this days' or 'those days' for a present context — neither is correct.
How do demonstratives work with uncountable and plural-only nouns?
Uncountable nouns (information, luggage, news) are grammatically singular and take 'this' or 'that', never 'these' or 'those'. Plural-only nouns (trousers, scissors, glasses) take 'these' or 'those', never 'this' or 'that'. So: 'this information' (not 'these information'), 'these trousers' (not 'this trousers'), 'that luggage' (not 'those luggage').