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Anonymous Posted 12 years ago
Grammar

Subject preposition agreement

Most major air pollutants cannot be seen, although
large amounts of them concentrated in cities are visible as smog.

The noun 'air pollutants' can't be referred to as 'them', can it? If so, why?
  

Top answer

Anonymous The noun 'air pollutants' can't be referred to as 'them', can it? If so, why? Sure they can, grammatically.

— Mister Micawber

  • Anonymous The noun 'air pollutants' can't be referred to as 'them', can it?
  • If so, why?
  • Sure they can, grammatically.
  • The problem is that we do not normally consider them individually.
  • I'd do this: Most major air pollutants cannot be seen, although large amounts concentrated in cities are visible as smog.
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3 Answers
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AnonymousThe noun 'air pollutants' can't be referred to as 'them', can it? If so, why?
Sure they can, grammatically. The problem is that we do not normally consider them individually. I'd do this:

Most major air pollutants cannot be seen, although large amounts concentrated in cities are visible as smog.
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Are there any specific situations in which words like 'them', which generally address animate objects, can not be used to point to inanimate objects like air pollutants?
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Anonymous 'them', which generally address animate objects,
That is not true. 'They', 'them', etc. are the pronouns for all plural nouns.

These rocks are beautiful. Do you like them?
Her ideas are brilliant. Do you agree with them?

Your original sentence, as I said, is fine. It is just that we do not normally visualize th
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