These vs Those

[Silke]

I have a real problem knowing which word is correct in which context.

Is it:

Where did all those socks come from?

Or

Where did all these socks come from?

Can anyone exlain this to me? :)

[Maeve]

I have a real problem knowing which word is correct in which context.

Is it:

Where did all those socks come from?

Or

Where did all these socks come from?

Can anyone exlain this to me? :)

The use of "those" suggests that you are looking at the socks from a distance. The use of "these" suggests that you are near them as you speak.

Or, you could be looking at two piles of socks and use "these" for one pile and "those" for the other pile.

[Silke]

Hm.
I'm still confused.

Okay, different sentence.

(Picture people / strangers arriving unexpectedly.)

Where did all those men come from?

Or

Where did all these men come from?

---
I'm guessing it's these, if they are already here.
But it's those, if they are still walking toward me?

God, I'm starting to hate those words! (Or is it these????)

[Maeve]

Don't hate them! They're very handy words and you ARE getting the hang of it.

At a distance, on the sidewalk, "those." On your doorstep, "these."
:)


God, I'm starting to hate those words! (Or is it these????)

Either works here! Considering how you feel about them, "those" is a good choice since it puts a distance between you and the words.

[rhods]

Thanks for the info Maeve. I am confused with "those" and "these" too.:)

[rdwriter]

It depends on where YOU are when you are asking the question. If you are standing with the "men" in your scenario, then you would say "where did all these men come from?", if you are a distance away from the men, you would say "those".

In the sock scenario, if you are close to, or let's say holding the socks, you would use "these". If you were pointing at them from across the room, you would use "those".

Does that help at all?