"Some of them are dead" vs "Some of them have died"

Question

"Some of them are dead" vs "Some of them have died"

Both phrases are correct, but they are used in different contexts. 'Some of them have died' is used to indicate that a specific group of people or things have passed away at some point in the past. 'Some of them are dead' is used to state that a specific group of people or things are currently deceased.

Last Updated: March 17, 2024

This phrase is used to talk about a group of people or things that are currently dead. It implies that the state of being dead is ongoing for at least a portion of the group.

Examples:

Some of the animals are dead in the zoo.
Some of the characters are dead in the story.

Alternatives:

A few of them have passed away
Several of them have deceased

This phrase is used to talk about a group of people or things that have died in the past. It implies that not all of them have died, but at least a portion of the group has.

Examples:

Some of the soldiers have died in battle.
Some of the flowers have died due to lack of water.

Alternatives:

A few of them have passed away
Several of them have deceased

Answer 1

Some of them are dead

This phrase is correct and commonly used to state that a specific group of people or things are currently deceased.

Answer 2

Some of them have died

This phrase is correct and commonly used to indicate that a specific group of people or things have passed away at some point in the past.

"Some of them are dead" vs "Some of them have died"

Some of them are dead

Some of them have died

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