zoobyshoe said:
Function: pronoun
Inflected Form(s): plural these /'[th]Ez/
Etymology: Middle English, pronoun & adjective, from Old English thes (masculine), this (neuter); akin to Old High German dese this, Old English thæt that
1 a (1) : the person, thing, or idea that is present or near in place, time, or thought or that has just been mentioned <these are my hands> (2) : what is stated in the following phrase, clause, or discourse <I can only say this: it wasn't here yesterday> b : this time or place <expected to return before this>
2 a : the one nearer or more immediately under observation or discussion <this is iron and that is tin> b : the one more recently referred to
Function: adjective
Inflected Form(s): plural these
1 a : being the person, thing, or idea that is present or near in place, time, or thought or that has just been mentioned <this book is mine> <early this morning> b : constituting the immediately following part of the present discourse c : constituting the immediate past or future <friends all these years> d : being one not previously mentioned -- used especially in narrative to give a sense of immediacy or vividness <then this guy runs in>
2 : being the nearer at hand or more immediately under observation or discussion <this car or that one>
Function: adverb
: to the degree or extent indicated by something in the immediate context or situation <didn't expect to wait this long>
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A villain in a fairytale, there are four in the neighborhood.
