These vs. Those
These/those are the plural forms of this/that. They're called demonstratives. We use them to identify specific persons or things close to or far from us.
Similarities
'These' and 'those' are plural forms of 'this' and 'that'. They are called demonstratives. Demonstratives can either be demonstrative determiners or demonstrative pronouns.
As Determiners
As determiners 'these' and 'those' are used to point to specific persons or things near to us or far from us. This distance or closeness, can either be physical or temporal.
Difference
- These is used to refer to persons and things close at hand
- Those is used to refer to persons and things far from us
Look at
As Pronouns
If demonstratives appear alone and not be followed by a plural noun, they are called demonstrative pronouns.
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'These' and 'Those' Referring to People?
'These' and 'those' alone (as pronouns) cannot refer to people, unless maybe when you want to be offensive or sarcastic. They are always used to refer to things.
Can you believe
When Can 'These' and 'Those' Refer to People?
'These' can be used for introducing people to another or identifying two or more people or yourselves, especially on the phone or at the door. Look at the example:
Mom,
'Those' can also be used for introducing people. Its difference with using 'these' is that, when we use 'those', the people we want to introduce are not standing near us. Look at the example:
See
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That vs. Those
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