The correct answer is "Do you like these mittens?", which uses the plural demonstrative pronoun "these" to refer to the shoes.
Determinative
Determinative vs determiner: "determinative" names the word class (like saying run is a verb). "Determiner" names the syntactic function (like saying run is the predicate). Most determinatives function as determiners, but the terms operate at different levels of grammar.
A determinative is the part-of-speech category containing articles, demonstratives, possessives, and quantifiers.
Diagnostic: asking what kind of word is this? → determinative. Asking what job does it do in this sentence? → determiner.
Demonstrative
Demonstrative vs article: both go before a noun and specify which one. But articles mark definiteness (the = known), while demonstratives mark proximity — this (near me) vs that (away from me). You can't use both together: the this book ❌.
Demonstratives are the four pointing words: this/that (singular), these/those (plural). They indicate distance (near/far) and function as both determiners and pronouns.
Diagnostic: are you pointing at something and indicating how close it is? → demonstrative. Just marking it as known? → article (the).
Pronoun
Pronoun vs noun: nouns name explicitly (Sarah, the book). Pronouns substitute and point back (she, it). Pronouns are a closed class (you can't invent new ones easily), while nouns are open (new ones appear constantly). The main complication: pronouns still carry case marking that nouns have lost.
A pronoun replaces a noun or noun phrase. Types: personal, demonstrative, relative, interrogative, reflexive, indefinite.
Diagnostic: every pronoun must have a clear antecedent (the noun it replaces). If the reader can't tell which noun a pronoun refers to → ambiguity error.
A1 | Elementary | Beginners
A1 vs A2: A1 covers isolated survival phrases (Where is…?, I am…, How much?). A2 handles connected sentences about familiar routines and simple past events. If you can manage short fixed phrases but not string together original sentences about your day, you're still A1.
A1 is the entry level of the CEFR: greetings, introductions, numbers, basic present tense, and core function words.
Diagnostic: can you describe yesterday using past tense? No → A1. Yes → you're moving into A2.
Easy
Easy vs Medium vs Hard: Easy = one rule, obvious answer, A1–A2. Medium = one rule but realistic distractors, A2–B1. Hard = interacting rules, edge cases, B2+. Start Easy to check you have the basics before moving up.
The Easy tag filters for single-rule, short-sentence, common-vocabulary challenges designed for beginners or for anyone wanting a confidence check on fundamentals.
Diagnostic: if you get Easy questions wrong, stay here — your foundations need work. If they feel trivial, move to Medium.