Them vs. Those – Which is Correct?

When should you use them or those? Both are correct, but they serve different grammatical purposes. Use them as an object pronoun for people or things already mentioned. Use those as a demonstrative pronoun or determiner to point to plural people or things, usually farther away or contrasted with these.

Them or Those – Which is Correct?

Them and those are both correct American English words, but they cannot usually be substituted for each other. Them is the objective form of the pronoun they. It refers to people or things that receive an action or follow a preposition.

Those is a demonstrative pronoun or determiner. It identifies particular plural people or things, often ones that are farther away, previously mentioned, or being contrasted with these.

The Best Trick to Remember the Difference

Use the action test for them: if someone does something to a group, them may be the object. For example, “I called them.” Use the pointing test for those: if you could point to the people or things, or contrast them with these, use those. For example, “Those shoes are expensive.”

Word	Part of Speech	Meaning	Example
them	Object pronoun	Refers to people or things receiving an action	We invited them to dinner.
those	Demonstrative pronoun or determiner	Points to or identifies plural people or things	Those books belong to me.

How to Use Them

Them is an objective personal pronoun. It refers to two or more people, animals, or things that have already been mentioned or are understood from context. It commonly appears after a verb or preposition because it receives the action or completes the prepositional phrase.

In informal speech, them can also appear in the expression them instead of those, as in “Look at them birds.” This nonstandard usage occurs in some dialects, but standard edited English uses those in that sentence.

Example 1: The children were playing outside, so I called them inside.

Example 2: Please send them an invitation.

Example 3: We spoke with them after the meeting.

What are the different forms of Them?

Them is one form in the personal-pronoun system. It is the objective form of they and corresponds to their or theirs in possessive constructions. The related forms are they for subjects, their for possessive determiners, and theirs for possessive pronouns.

Pronoun Form	Function	Example
they	Subject	They arrived early.
them	Object	I helped them.
their	Possessive determiner	Their car is outside.
theirs	Possessive pronoun	The car is theirs.

Etymology of the word Them

Them developed from Old Norse influence on Middle English. Its form is related to the Old Norse plural pronoun þeim. Over time, it replaced the earlier English objective form and became the standard object form of they.

How to Use Those

Those is the plural form of the demonstrative that. It can function as a determiner before a plural noun, as in “those houses,” or as a pronoun when it stands alone, as in “Those are mine.” It often identifies things that are physically distant, less immediate in time, or contrasted with these.

Those can also refer to people. For example, “Those are my colleagues” identifies a particular group. In formal writing, those frequently introduces a relative clause: “Those who complete the course will receive a certificate.”

Example 1: Those flowers need more sunlight.

Example 2: I prefer these seats to those in the back.

Example 3: Those who arrive late must wait outside.

What are the different forms of Those?

Those is the plural form of that. The demonstrative system distinguishes singular and plural forms, as well as relative distance or immediacy. This and these commonly refer to something nearer or more immediate, while that and those commonly refer to something farther away or less immediate.

Singular or Plural	Near	Farther or Less Immediate
Singular	this	that
Plural	these	those

Etymology of the word Those

Those comes from the Old English demonstrative system. It developed through Middle English forms related to that and eventually became the standard plural counterpart of that in modern English.

Related Concepts

Understanding pronoun functions and demonstratives makes the difference between them and those easier to recognize.

• Object pronouns: Object pronouns receive the action of a verb or follow a preposition. Examples include me, him, her, us, and them.
• Demonstrative pronouns: Demonstrative pronouns identify particular people or things. The main forms are this, that, these, and those.
• Demonstrative determiners: A demonstrative determiner comes directly before a noun, as in “those houses” or “these problems.”
• Antecedents: An antecedent is the noun or group that a pronoun refers to. In “The students finished their work, and I praised them,” students is the antecedent of them.

Examples from Media and Literature

The distinction appears in ordinary dialogue, journalism, fiction, and formal writing. The following examples show how each word functions in recognizable real-world contexts:

• Film dialogue: A character might say, “I saw them at the station,” using them to refer to people already identified in the conversation.
• News reporting: A report may state, “Officials questioned them after the incident,” with them serving as the object of questioned.
• Historical writing: A history book might compare “the policies of these leaders with those of their predecessors,” using those to stand for the policies.
• Literary narration: A narrator may describe a distant group by writing, “Those were the days people remembered most fondly.” Here, those points back to a particular period.
• Everyday conversation: Someone choosing between products might say, “I like these, but I do not want those,” using the two demonstratives to contrast groups.

Practice Exercises

Choose the correct word to complete each sentence.

1. I met the new neighbors and invited ___ to our barbecue.
2. ___ cookies on the top shelf are for the guests.
3. We compared these results with ___ from last year.
4. The coach congratulated ___ after the final game.
5. ___ who complete the application by Friday will be contacted first.

Answer Key

1. them — The pronoun receives the action of invited.
2. Those — The word points to particular cookies and comes before a plural noun.
3. those — The word stands for the previously mentioned plural noun results.
4. them — The players receive the action of congratulated.
5. Those — The demonstrative identifies a particular group of people.

Them Synonyms

Them is a grammatical pronoun, so its closest substitutes depend on the people or things being referenced. The following expressions can sometimes replace it without changing the general meaning.

Synonym	Definition
those people	Refers to a specific group of people
that group	Refers to a previously identified collection of people or things
the individuals	A formal substitute when the antecedent is a group of people
the items	A specific substitute when the antecedent consists of objects

Those Synonyms

Those often has no exact synonym because it expresses both reference and grammatical number. Depending on context, these near-equivalents may communicate a similar idea.

Synonym	Definition
those particular	Emphasizes that a specific plural group is meant
that group	Refers to a particular group already identified or understood
the ones over there	Identifies plural items by location or distance
the aforementioned	A formal expression referring to previously mentioned plural subjects

Frequently Asked Questions

Question 1: Is “them” or “those” correct?
Both are correct. Use them as an object pronoun and those as a demonstrative pronoun or determiner.

Question 2: Can “those” replace “them”?
Not usually. “I called them” is correct because them is the object of the verb. “I called those” is possible only when those points to specific people or things, usually with context such as “I called those listed on the form.”

Question 3: Is “them” ever used before a noun?
In standard English, them does not normally modify a noun. Use those instead: “those books,” not “them books.” The phrase “them books” occurs in some regional or informal dialects but is not standard edited usage.

Conclusion

Them and those are both valid, but they perform different jobs. Choose them when a plural person or thing receives an action or follows a preposition. Choose those when pointing to or identifying a particular plural group. Pro Tip: Using the correct pronoun in professional writing improves clarity and protects your credibility.