I always use them reversibly since I'm not too sure about their differences.
For instance, in an email I just wrote:
- solution 1
- solution 2
Which one of those solutions do you prefer?
I'm not too sure whether I should use these or those. In the above example I used those because it sounds cooler, maybe not the best way to choose…
Also I read that that is used appointing what is far while this is for close things. But in my example are solutions
far or close?
Best Answer
My point for relating this story is that sometimes these words (those words?) can be used interchangeably, with little or no change in meaning.
I'd say that, in the general case, these seems to imply closer proximity then those (as in, "These marbles [in my hand] look very pretty, but those marbles [behind the counter] don't look as nice.") However, as the donut example illustrates, even this generality doesn't always hold true.
Back to your example: I think you could have used either these or those, and, much like at the donut counter, either word would work just fine.