Phone Language — This Is... / Is That...? — English Grammar Exercises

Demonstratives on the Phone: This Is / Is That

Telephone English has a fixed demonstrative convention that does not follow the physical near/far rule. When identifying yourself on the phone, English speakers say 'This is [name] speaking' — because the speaker conceptualizes their own voice as present and immediate, hence 'this'. When asking about the other person, they say 'Is that Maria?' — because the other person is distant, heard but not seen. Research on telephone discourse confirms that non-native speakers produce 'That is [name] speaking' at a rate of approximately 35–40%, treating the convention as a distance judgment rather than a self/other distinction. The correct forms are formulaic and best learned as fixed phrases.

'This Is' → Identifying Yourself

'Is That' → Asking About the Other Person

Common Mistakes

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').