them
part of speech
pronoun; determiner (nonstandard: «them sweets» for «those sweets»)
meaning for a pupil
1) Them means the people or things already spoken about, more than one. tree →
2) Them can be used for one person when you do not know or say if it is a boy or a girl. tree →
3) (casual) «'em» is a short way to say «them»: «give 'em here». tree →
4) (casual, nonstandard) «Them» is used for «those»: «them sweets is 2 dollar each» (school English: «those sweets are 2 dollars each»). tree →
5) (casual) «Them» can mean people in charge or another group: «us and them». tree →
6) (formal) Exams say «the said items», «the aforementioned», «the latter», «the former» or «the persons concerned». tree →
sense in the lessons
the things or people just named; «between them»: the named people together; «N of them» is a part of the whole just named; phrases: «both of them», «all of them», «each of them», «between them»; in casual talk «'em», «give 'em here», «them ones», «them sweets»; in rough talk «tell 'em to get lost», «I can't stand them lot»; in the exam voice «the said items», «the latter», «each of the aforementioned»
examples
- How many apples do Max and Tom have between them? tree →
- There were 10 books. Zoe read 2 of them. tree →
- Lily has 6 shells and gives 2 of them away. tree →
- Pick up the toys and put them in the box. tree →
- Each of them got a sticker. tree →
- If someone is hurt, stay with them and call an adult. tree →
- All of them laughed at the joke. tree →
- sod it, just split 'em, 3 each tree →
- Them sweets is 2 dollar each, how much for 4? tree →
- Tell 'em to wait, we're nearly done. tree →
- Of the ten volumes, two of the said items have been read. State the number unread. tree →
- I can't stand them lot, they never share. tree →
note
«them» is the object form of «they»: «They saw us. We saw them.» «between them» asks for the sum of the people named just before. «N of them» is a part of the whole just named. «'em» is the same as «them». «them sweets» means «those sweets», a common nonstandard form. «the said items» in an exam points back to the things named.
In the corpora
- Night shifts mean working through the night and sleeping in the day; nurses, drivers, bakers and warehouse workers often do them.
- These things are worrying, but they are almost never anyone's fault at home, and most families get through them.
- Date night is when a couple goes out together, just the two of them, which keeps their friendship strong.
- A honeymoon is a holiday a couple takes just after the wedding, to rest and celebrate, just the two of them.
- Many children call a step-parent by their first name, and it is fine to ask what to call them.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «them» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.