Differences between THIS and THIS

The tildes they can be confusing and easily lead to spelling mistakes, especially in words that appear to have only one meaning with or without them. In this lesson from a TEACHER we will learn to recognize the differences between "this" and this " that can be applied equally in the forms “this / this”, “these / these”, and “these / these”.

The word "this" it's a demonstrative which can do the function of both determinant like pronoun.

What this means is that "this" - just like "that" or "that" - establishes a distance ratio with the object we are talking about. When we use "this", we mean something that is close who is talking about, something just mentioned, or a nearby time, time, or place.

Examples of EAST

• East pen writes very well (the pen is nearby).
• East it's the worst day to go surfing ("This day" is a close moment).
• I didn't like that dress I tried on, but this it is much more beautiful ("This" refers to a dress that is nearby, in time and / or space).

"East" as a demonstrative determinant

We say that "this" works like demonstrative determinant (also called demonstrative adjective, or demonstrative determinative adjective) when directly accompanies the noun:Examples:

• This place it is ideal for a picnic.
• On this letter he wrote on subjects that he had not dealt with before.
• This summer we have not gone on vacation.

"Este" as a demonstrative pronoun

We say that "this" works like demonstrative pronoun when alludes to a noun which has been mentioned just before, or will be mentioned shortly after:

Examples:

• That painting over there is too big for the room; this from here it will be better (“This” refers to another closer square).
• East is the best time to ask questions ("This" refers to "moment").
• My brother asked Alex if he wanted to come, and this said he couldn't"This" refers to Alex).
• I liked my old bag, but this it is much more practical ("This" refers to the bag I have now, or a nearby bag)

We can find the two functions in the same sentence, as in the examples below.

Examples:

• East car is also red, but I think yours is this next door (the first "east" accompanies "car", and the second "east" refers to another car next to the first)
• If we compare this plate with this another, the first is healthier, but the second is tastier (the first "this" accompanies "plate" and is a determinant, while the second "this" refers to "this other plate", and therefore is a pronoun).
• or East The book is by Flaubert and his readers liked it a lot, but the critics accused this to write about indecent subjects (the first "this" accompanies "book", while the second "this" refers to Flaubert).

If ticks give you headaches, you can be happy, because the RAE recommends never using "this one". Instead, "this" should be used in both the determiner function and the demonstrative pronoun function, as we explained in the previous section.

However, this change was made in 2010, and that is why it is important to know the old usage of "this" for when you find it in a text.

"East" it was written with a tilde to differentiate the function of "this" as a demonstrative determinant from its function as a demonstrative pronoun in a sentence. "This" without an accent accompanied the nouns as a determiner, while "This one" with a tilde was used as a pronoun alluding to a noun without accompanying him directly. This difference existed to avoid confusion and ambiguity in sentences.

In this way, the example sentences that we have seen above where “this” was used as a demonstrative pronoun they used to be written as follows:

• That painting over there is too big for the room; I like it more this.
• East this is the best time to ask questions.
• My brother asked Alex if he wanted to come, and this He said he couldn't.
• I liked my old bag, but this it is much more practical.

It is important to remember that this change was not made only with the word "this", but also with "this", "these" and "these", as well as with the rest of the determinants / demonstrative pronouns ("That" and "that"). Although you can find all these words spelled with a tilde when they do the pronoun function in a sentence, the RAE currently recommends that they always be written without an accent.

This type of spelling phenomenon where words that would not have an accent according to the spelling rules carry an accent on certain occasions to avoid misinterpretation is called "diacritical accent”.

Next, we have prepared an exercise so that the lesson is very clear to you.

Statement:Indicate if the “este / a / os / as” of each sentence act as a demonstrative determinant, or as a demonstrative pronoun.

• If you want to pass this exam, you should review the lesson one more time.
• To get to the theater you have to cross this street, because this other one takes you to the cinema.
• This one here or this one here, which is better?
• This could be the best day of your life.
• Don't be discouraged if this has been a rough year, we are here to help!
• Neither this car nor the next one is fast enough to finish first in the race.
• I highly recommend it, because this is a book that changed my life.
• These pizzas are very large, and if you want to eat this dessert, do not order this or you will be too full later.