Demonstrative Adjective Definition and Meaning
Adjective is a word that, when analyzing its etymological origin, we discover that it comes from the Latin term “adiectivus”. We can also determine that it is made up of three components: the prefix “ad-“, which indicates approximation; the verb “iacere”, which can be translated as “launch”, and finally the suffix “-tivo”, which is synonymous with “relationship”.
The adjectives are words that determine or qualify a noun. It is a kind of word that expresses the properties attributed to the noun, highlighting or specifying them.
A demonstrative adjective is one that indicates a relation of place, expressing the proximity of the person with whom or of whom it is spoken. These adjectives always precede a noun; otherwise, we are dealing with another type of word (pronouns).
Likewise, we cannot ignore the knowledge that demonstrative adjectives always have the same gender and number as those of the nouns they accompany.
“That”, “this”, “that”, “that” and “those” are examples of demonstrative adjectives. There are some adjectives that are appropriate from the standpoint of grammar but are very archaic in everyday speech as “esotro”, “aqueste” or “aquesa”.
Specifically, we would have to establish that this is the complete list of demonstrative adjectives:
• Regarding the adverb category, the following are found: “here”, “here”, “there”, “there” and “there”.
• Those framed within the “singular masculine” section are these: “this”, “that” and “that”.
• On the other hand, typified as “singular feminine” we find “this”, “that” and “that”.
• “These”, “those” and “those” are the plural masculine demonstrative adjectives.
• “These”, “those” and “those” are, for their part, feminine and plural.
“That dog is a doberman” is an expression that includes the demonstrative adjective “that”. This adjective is determining the noun “dog” and assumes that the speaker is observing the “dog” in question so that the adjective “that” makes sense.
“Those girls are making a lot of noise and won’t let me rest” is another phrase where a demonstrative adjective (“those”) is used. The expression refers to a group of noisy girls from the speaker’s perspective.
Sometimes the demonstrative adjective can indicate both spatial and temporal proximity: “Yesterday I bought this disc” uses the adjective “this” to mention spatial proximity (it is easy to imagine the speaker pointing to the disc in question or taking it with his hand), while “This winter we will go skiing” includes the same adjective in a temporal reference (the winter that is lived in the moment or that is to come).
That is, we could use the demonstrative adjectives already exposed to establish the type of proximity and closeness that they establish regarding a subject or a certain object. In this sense, the following characteristics have been specified in this regard:
• Those that indicate greater proximity are “this”, “this”, “these” and “these”.
• On the other hand, those who come to demonstrate an average distance are “that”, “that”, “those” and “those”.
• Finally, those used to indicate a greater distance are “that”, “that”, “those” and “those”.