Learn English – Correct usage of they/those

word-usage

When you ask someone for certain files, which of the followings is correct?

  1. They are not uploaded on the website, can you please upload them when you have a chance?
  2. Those are not uploaded on the website, can you please upload those when you have a chance?

I have always used they before, but I feel like those is correct. Is either one correct?

Best Answer

They is plural of he/she/it. You use they to refer to one group of things that have already been mentioned in the conversation:

A: Are Peter and Laura coming?
B: Yes, they should be here soon. <--they means Peter and Laura

Those is the plural of that. You generally use those in the same way as you use these, to refer to one of two distinct groups of things.

A: Can I throw away these newspapers?
B: You can take those, but not these

When you use those without a these, it suggests that there is some other group, for example:

Those are not uploaded on the website...

this implies that some other items have already been uploaded to the web site.

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