they?

Question

0 I use "they" for people, animals, emotional expressions (e.g. tears) and inanimate things. One day someone (non-native like me) told me that the use of "they" is limited to people only. For animals, emotional expressions and inanimate things we use "these/those" but not "they". 02br02br00I know he is incorrect. I checked the dictionary and found that his statement was wrong. However, I would like to reconfirm it from native speakers here. Please help me.02br02br00Thanks!0-

Nona the brit · Accepted Answer

0You are correct. These and those are very specific and also include a statement on position. These = the specific ones here. Those= the specific ones there.02br
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00'They' is perfectly acceptable for inanimate objects, animals etc. It is the plural of 'it' with no 'position/place' or necessarily a specific element to what you are saying.02br
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00For example. Meercats are animals. They live in large family groups.02br
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00We can't say 'these' live in family groups as we are talking about all the meercats in the world, not just a group that is near us. Likewise, 'those' would be pointing out a specific group some distance from us. Both options suggest that this is not necessarily normal behaviour for meercats, and that other meercats may not be living in family groups, which is incorrect.02br
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00I don't know where your friend got that idea from but it must make their English-speaking very difficult! How does he/she cope with situations such as 'I want to return these shoes as they don't fit me' or 'I want to order some dining chairs please and they must match my oak table'. You can't substitute 'those' or 'these' for either of those 'they's.0-

Summer3 · Answer

0Wow, nona the brit! very clear explanation!!!05002br
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00You made my doubts clear even about the usage of "these" or "those" with your excellent examples! 02br
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00Many many thanks to you!010id2

Philip · Answer

0 01blockquote

01cite10Summer312cite10Wow, nona the brit! very clear explanation!!![:10D]12br
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10You made my doubts clear even about the usage of "these" or "those" with your excellent examples! 12br
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10Many many thanks to you!12br
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12blockquote

10 01b01font00You never get less from Nona!02font02b00 0-

Summer3 · Answer

0 01b01font00You never get less from Nona!02font02b02br
02br
00True! 050010id2

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