THESE | THOSE + plural noun

Demonstrative determiners modify nouns and are used to point to specific things in relation to the speaker. They answer the question “which ones?”

  • ‘These’ is used for items that are close to the speaker. For example, in “We have these types of things happen quite often”, ‘these’ is pointing to specific types of things that are familiar or common to the speaker.
  • ‘Those’ is used for items that are further away from the speaker. For example, in “It looks like those guys are trying to steal that car”, ‘those’ is pointing to specific guys who are not close to the speaker.

While both ‘these’ and ‘those’ can serve as demonstrative pronouns, in the examples above they are demonstrative determiners because they are directly modifying plural nouns (‘types’, ‘guys’).


We did an iWeb search for:

these|those _NN2

1 THESE THINGS 291847

Collocates of ‘these things‘ in the MOVIE corpus:

1 HAPPEN 483

These things happen. Don’t worry about it.

listen

2 SOMETIMES 93
3  HATE 66
4  NONE 46
5  HAPPENING 41

2 THOSE THINGS 157643
3 THESE TERMS 141602 This is mostly B2 sense = rules

Do you understand these terms?

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4 THESE GUYS 121511
5 THESE TYPES 109413

We have these types of things happen quite often.

listen

6 THESE ISSUES 102295
7 THESE QUESTIONS 96723
8 THESE CHANGES 91304
9 THESE PRODUCTS 83548
10 THESE AREAS 82688
11 THESE ITEMS 75154
12 THESE CASES 67622 B2 crime

Usually these cases are solved within twenty four hours.

listen

13 THESE STEPS 67448
14 THESE PROBLEMS 63589
15 THESE WORDS 60203
16 THESE EVENTS 59442
17 THESE PROGRAMS 58049
18 THESE SERVICES 55026
19 THESE CONDITIONS 54884
20 THESE COMPANIES 54671
21 THESE TIPS 52304
22 THESE FACTORS 52225
23 THESE RESULTS 50066
24 THESE KINDS 48608
25 THESE FEATURES 47652
26 THESE TOOLS 46555
27 THESE NUMBERS 45169
28 THESE RULES 45166
29 THOSE GUYS 44934

Looks like those guys are trying to steal that car.

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30 THESE MEN 44701
31 THESE DEVICES 42704
32 THESE OPTIONS 41378
33 THESE IDEAS 41215
34 THESE SYSTEMS 39789
35 THESE SITES 38059
36 THESE ACTIVITIES 37390
37 THESE WOMEN 36581
38 THOSE AREAS 35890

Those areas have been drilled.

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39 THESE SYMPTOMS 35617
40 THESE GROUPS 34728
41 THESE INDIVIDUALS 34723
42 THESE METHODS 34151
43 THESE BOOKS 33860
44 THESE FINDINGS 33795
45 THESE IMAGES 33420
46 THESE STUDENTS 32776
47 THESE GAMES 32394
48 THESE CHILDREN 32172
49 THESE FILES 31851
50 THESE SITUATIONS 31206

A2 plural nous in the above:

activities, areas, cases, companies, files, guys, ideas, programs, sites, terms, types


51 THESE KIDS 31132

These kids deserve an education, don’t you agree?

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For the results between 52-90 we had AI give full sentences:

  1. “These skills are essential for success in the modern workplace.”
  2. “These tests are designed to measure students’ understanding of the material.”
  3. “Those numbers don’t add up; there seems to be a mistake in the calculations.”
  4. “These stories inspire us to strive for greatness.”
  5. “These patients require immediate medical attention.”
  6. “These elements combine to form a compound.”
  7. “These values are at the core of our organization’s mission.”
  8. “Those words had a profound impact on me.”
  9. “These studies provide evidence supporting our hypothesis.”
  10. “These reasons are why we decided to change our approach.”
  11. “These projects will be completed by the end of the year.”
  12. “Please turn to these pages in your textbook for today’s lesson.”
  13. “These drugs have potential side effects that patients should be aware of.”
  14. “These countries have rich cultural histories that are fascinating to explore.”
  15. “These animals are native to the region and play a crucial role in the ecosystem.”
  16. “These figures represent our company’s growth over the past fiscal year.”
  17. “These places hold significant historical importance.”
  18. “Please look at these photos from our recent trip.”
  19. “In those cases, we need to follow a different procedure.”
  20. “These materials are required for the construction project.”
  21. “Please assemble these parts according to the instructions.”
  22. “Please sign and return these documents by Friday.”
  23. “These requirements must be met for the application to be considered complete.”
  24. “Those students have shown exceptional dedication and effort in their studies.”
  25. “I highly recommend these courses for anyone interested in learning more about the subject.”
  26. “Under these circumstances, we need to reconsider our strategy.”
  27. “We’re working hard to overcome these challenges and achieve our goals.”
  28. “We’ve allocated these resources to support the project’s development.”
  29. “Please read these lines from the poem and consider their meaning.”
  30. “Please follow these guidelines when submitting your report.”
  31. “I bought these shoes because they were comfortable and stylish.”
  32. “We used these techniques to solve the problem more efficiently.”
  33. “The development of these characters adds depth to the story.”
  34. “Consider these points when making your decision.”
  35. “We’ll address those questions in our next meeting.”
  36. “We appreciate all of these efforts made by our team members.”
  37. “I’ve been collecting these cards since I was a child.”
  38. “We should take advantage of these benefits offered by the program.”
  39. “Please adjust these settings according to your preferences.”

91 THESE INSTRUCTIONS 22379

PELIC STUDENT EXAMPLE:

Building a treehouse is easy when you keep in mind these instructions.

Korean Female level 4 writing class

 

92 THOSE GAMES 22173
93 THOSE CHANGES 22143
94 THESE PICTURES 21954
95 THOSE ITEMS 21897
96 THESE GOALS 21531
97 THESE UNITS 21443
98 THESE PIECES 21313
99 THESE MODELS 20805
100 THOSE INDIVIDUALS 20675

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