Grammar Hammer: Them’s the Breaks

Is this a typical Saturday morning in your house? “I can’t find my sunglasses.” Your significant other begins rifling through what I like to call “the bottomless pit” – that place where stuff ends up in a pile during the course of the week. This pile might contain car keys, the week’s mail, a crumpled up grocery list, a post-it note with something really important on it, and probably a cough drop or a few loose tic-tacs. “Wait,” your significant other says, “are these them?” Or should it be, “Are these they?” What about, “Are these those?”

When to use “them”

“Them” is always used as a pronoun.

Example: Some friends of mine are planning a vacation to Italy. I want to go with them. “Them” is a simple pronoun acting as the object of the preposition “with.”

Example: I met with contractors last week about some potential home repairs. I told them that it would be at least a month before I’m ready to move forward. “Them” is a simple pronoun used as the object of the verb “told.”

When to use “they”

“They” is used as a pronoun.

Example: I heard the most amazing vocal group on the radio last week. I don’t think anyone can sing as well as they. Using “they” in this instance is grammatically correct as a subjective pronoun. If I were to extend that sentence, I would say, “I don’t think anyone can sing as well as they (the amazing vocal group) can sing.”

A good rule of thumb: Only the subject form of the pronoun should be used with modals (can, should, will, do, did, etc.).

*Grammatical Minefield!* Don’t fall prey to the temptation to use “they” with a singular pronoun in an effort to maintain gender neutrality. Fill in the blanks: “When a person gets _____ driver’s license, ____ should carry it at all times.” Grammatically speaking, using “they” (or “their”) in this instance is incorrect. “They” is a plural pronoun trying to reference a singular noun. Either make the nouns plural or use a singular pronoun.

When to use “those”

“Those” can act as a pronoun and an adjective.

Example: Where did you get those shoes? “Those” is used an adjective to describe which shoes I’m referring to.

Example: Those are amazing shoes! “Those” is used as a simple pronoun, acting as the subject of the sentence.

(Bonus points if you know the origin of the phrase “Them’s the breaks.”)

  This article originally appeared on Beyond PR and has been republished with permission.
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Author: Jay Leonard

Jay is a UK-based cryptocurrency expert, specialising in fundamental analysis and medium to long term investments. Jay has a great deal of hands-on experience in analysing financial markets and performing technical analysis. Jay is currently focusing on the institutional adoption of cryptocurrency and what it means for the future of

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