Demonstrative Clarity
About This Worksheet
This Grade 7 Language Arts worksheet helps students replace unclear demonstrative pronouns with more specific words or phrases. Words such as this, that, these, and those can point to people, objects, events, or entire ideas. When the reference is not clear, the reader may not know exactly what the writer means. For example, “The class watched a video about space exploration. This was very interesting” becomes clearer when this is replaced with the space exploration video.
Learning Goals
The main goal is to help students understand that demonstrative pronouns need a clear reference. Students should already recognize this, that, these, and those in sentences. This activity moves them toward revising vague wording so every pronoun points to one exact noun, action, or idea. It supports CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.7.1 and CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.7.3, which focus on correct pronoun use and clear language choices.
Student Tasks
On this worksheet, students will read ten sentence pairs containing vague demonstrative pronouns. They will rewrite each pair so the meaning becomes specific and easy to follow. The examples involve school videos, forgotten sports equipment, artwork, loud noises, team practice, new rules, baked goods, studying, storm warnings, and drama rehearsals. Students may replace the pronoun with a noun phrase or revise both sentences for smoother flow.
Common Challenges
Some students may replace this or that with a word that is still too general, such as thing or situation. Others may choose one nearby noun even when the pronoun refers to the whole action in the previous sentence. Encourage students to ask, “What exact object, event, or idea does this word point to?” The answer should be clear enough that another reader does not need to guess.
Teaching Suggestions
A teacher can cover the demonstrative pronoun and ask students to supply the exact words it represents. The class can compare a vague version with a clear revision and discuss which one gives the reader a stronger picture. At home, a parent can read the first sentence and ask the child to name the most important noun or action before revising the second sentence. This helps turn a fuzzy reference into a precise one.
Worksheet Features
The worksheet includes ten realistic examples in which demonstrative pronouns refer to objects, actions, or complete ideas. Every item requires a full revision rather than a one-word answer, so students practice grammar and sentence clarity together. The repeated structure makes the skill easy to follow while the situations remain varied. This page works well for editing practice, pronoun review, homework, or writing improvement.