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In English grammar, “this” and “that” are demonstrative pronouns used to refer to specific things or people. “This” refers to something close to the speaker, while “that” refers to something farther away. Both can also refer to situations or experiences.

The pronoun ‘one’ can substitute for a singular noun, helping avoid repetition. For example, “I prefer the red apple, not the green one”.

When combined with “this” or “that”, as in ‘this one’ or ‘that one’, they refer to a specific, previously mentioned singular countable noun. ‘This one’ refers to something closer in distance or time, while ‘that one’ refers to something further in distance or time.

For instance, in the sentence “Get a new photo. You look like a ghost in this one,” “this one” refers to the current photo of the person being spoken to. Similarly, in the sentence “I learned the answer to that one the hard way,” “that one” refers to a particular issue or challenge that the speaker encountered and learned from through a difficult experience.