1.183 'this' and 'these'

'This' and 'these' are used to talk about people or things that are very obvious in the situation that you are in. You use 'this' and 'these' to distinguish these people or things from others of the same kind. For example, if you are inside a house, you can refer to it as 'this house'. If you are holding some keys in your hand, you can refer to them as 'these keys'. If you are at a party, you can refer to it as 'this party'.

• He had a private practice in this flat.
• I am going to walk up these steps towards you.
• I'll come as soon as these men have finished their work.
• I like this university.
• Good evening. In this programme we are going to look at the way in which British music has developed in recent years.

When it is clear who or what you are referring to, you can use 'this' and 'these' as pronouns. This use is explained in paragraphs 1.123 to 1.126.

1.184

'This' and 'these' are also used in many expressions which refer to current periods of time, for example 'this month', 'this week', and 'these days'.