"all of these" vs "all of them"

Question

"all of these" vs "all of them"

Both 'all of them' and 'all of these' are correct phrases, but they are used in different contexts. 'All of them' is used when referring to a group of people or things that have already been mentioned or are understood in the conversation. On the other hand, 'all of these' is used when referring to a specific group of people or things that are physically present or visible.

Last Updated: March 27, 2024

Use 'all of these' when you want to refer to a specific group of people or things that are physically present or visible. It is a way of pointing out a particular set of items.

Examples:

I need to return all of these books to the library.
Look at all of these beautiful flowers.
All of these dishes need to be washed.
She bought all of these clothes yesterday.
Can you help me carry all of these boxes?

Alternatives:

all of those
all of the items
all of the people
all of the things
all of the students

Use 'all of them' when you want to refer to a group of people or things that have already been mentioned or are understood in the conversation. It is a general way of referring to a known group.

Examples:

I gave them all of the books.
She invited all of them to the party.
They ate all of them.
He knows all of them very well.
We need to find all of them before we can leave.

Alternatives:

all of those
all of the items
all of the people
all of the things
all of the students

Answer 1

all of these

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English when referring to a specific group of people or things that are physically present or visible.

Answer 2

all of them

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English when referring to a group of people or things that have already been mentioned or are understood in the conversation.

"all of these" vs "all of them"

all of these

all of them

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