ABSTRACT
Demonstratives are adjectives or pronouns which refer to something in terms of whether it is near to or far from the speaker and are used to identify or point out people and things. English demonstratives are this, these, that and those. The plural forms questi and quegli are used with a singular meaning to express the latter (questi) and the former (quegli). Their form is invariable and their use is confined to formal written texts. Cio is an invariable demonstrative pronoun used more in writing than in speech. When this and that refer to ideas, actions or situations in English, they no longer correspond exactly to questo and quello in Italian. Ecco is sometimes termed a demonstrative adverb because it can be used to present and point things out. It can also be used with other words to demonstrate, present, explain or deduce facts.
