The word "these" is spelled with the letters T-H-E-S-E. In IPA phonetic transcription, it is pronounced as /ðiːz/. The first sound is a voiced dental fricative "ð," followed by a long "i" sound, and ending with a voiced "z" sound. "These" is a demonstrative pronoun used to refer to a group of objects or people that are close to the speaker or the listener in space or time. It is important to spell words correctly to avoid confusion and misunderstanding.
"These" is a pronoun used to refer to multiple persons, things, or ideas that are nearby or have been previously mentioned. It is the plural form of the pronoun "this" and is commonly used to indicate a group of things or individuals in the vicinity of the speaker or writer, or to refer back to an already mentioned noun or group.
The term "these" implies a closer proximity compared to "those," which refers to things or persons that are further away. The pronoun "these" is often used to demonstrate or identify something specific that is within sight or in close physical proximity. It helps to differentiate objects or individuals based on their distinctiveness or relative location.
For instance, in the sentence, "These books on the shelf are mine," the term "these" indicates a specific set of books that are physically located on the shelf nearest to the speaker.
Besides indicating proximity, "these" is also employed to refer back to a previously mentioned noun or group. In this context, it ensures clarity and avoids repetition by eliminating the need to repeat the same noun again. It helps maintain coherence in a sentence or text and allows for a more efficient and concise communication of ideas.
In summary, "these" is a plural pronoun used to indicate and distinguish multiple people, things, or ideas that are close to the speaker or writer, or to refer back to previously mentioned nouns or groups in order to maintain clarity and coherence in language usage.
• The plu. of this, which see.
• That which is present or nearest in time or place; that which is just mentioned: by this, after such an interval; by this time.
Etymological and pronouncing dictionary of the English language. By Stormonth, James, Phelp, P. H. Published 1874.
* The statistics data for these misspellings percentages are collected from over 15,411,110 spell check sessions on www.spellchecker.net from Jan 2010 - Jun 2012.
The word "these" can be traced back to the Old English word "þǣs", which is the genitive form of the pronoun "þes" meaning "this". The Old English word "þes" ultimately comes from the Proto-Germanic word "*þeisa". This Proto-Germanic word is believed to have originated from the Proto-Indo-European root "*to-, tos-" which means "this" or "that". This root gave rise to various forms in different Indo-European languages, leading to words like "this" in English and "ce" (this) in Old Irish. Over time, "þǣs" evolved into the Middle English forms "þeas" and "þeos" before eventually settling on the modern English word "these".