Basic Details
Word: Demonstrative
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Showing feelings, especially love, openly; in grammar, a word such as this or that which points to something.
Synonyms: affectionate, expressive, warm, emotional
Antonyms: reserved, undemonstrative, aloof
How to Spell Demonstrative
Syllables: de - mon - stra - tive
Tricky part: Demonstrate drops its last e and adds ive, so the middle is stra with no extra vowel. Students write demonstritive or demonsterative.
Watch out for: demonstritive, demonsterative, demonstrativ
Memory tip: Start from demonstrate, rub out the final e, and add ive. Everything up to stra stays as it was.
Usage Examples
Example 1: Our puppy is far more demonstrative than our cat.
Example 2: He is not a demonstrative person, but he never forgets a birthday.
Example 3: In "this book", the word this is a demonstrative adjective.
Fun Fact
In grammar, this, that, these and those are called demonstratives because they point out which thing is meant, as if you were demonstrating it with a finger.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the word opposite in meaning to demonstrative as used in the sentence:
Our new neighbour is a demonstrative man who greets every child on the street with a wave and a big smile.
a) warm
b) reserved
c) affectionate
d) generous
Show answer
b) reserved. A demonstrative person shows feelings openly; a reserved one keeps them hidden.
Spell-o-Spell
Only one word in the list is spelt correctly. Choose the meaning of that word.
1. compititive 2. demonstrative 3. repetative 4. imaginitive
a) wanting very much to win
b) having a lot of creative ideas
c) done many times in the same way
d) showing feelings openly
Show answer
d) showing feelings openly. Imaginative, competitive and repetitive each have a wrong vowel here; demonstrative is the only correct one.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the word in the sentence and choose it:
Leela is not very trmseoivneadt; she rarely shows her feelings, even to her closest friends.
a) administrative
b) demonstration
c) demonstrator
d) demonstrative
Show answer
d) demonstrative. The sentence needs a describing word; demonstration and demonstrator have no v, and administrative needs three i's.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. In "Those mangoes are ripe", which word is a demonstrative?
a) ripe
b) Those
c) are
d) mangoes
Show answer
b) Those
2. Someone who is demonstrative about their joy ____.
a) writes it in a secret diary
b) cheers and hugs people openly
c) keeps a straight face
d) waits until night to smile
Show answer
b) cheers and hugs people openly
