Them Pronoun: Usage and Examples

Meaning 1：object pronoun for a group (them)

them 🔊

/ðɛm/

pron.

Used to refer to a group of people, animals, or things that were mentioned earlier, usually after a verb or preposition.

object pronoun for a group 🔊

➕

/ˈɑːbdʒɛkt ˈproʊnaʊn fɔːr ə ɡruːp/

pron.

Used after a verb or preposition to refer to a previously mentioned group of people, animals, or things.

📁 Category：Language Evolution 🔖 Level：Beginner

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Old English 'þǣm', dative plural of 'se' (the). Cognate with German 'den'.

💡 Mnemonic

Think of 'the' + 'm' for multiple people. 'Them' is the object form for a group.

📖 Example

I saw my friends and waved to them. 🔊 I saw my friends and waved to them.

🔗 Collocations

both of them – Refers to two specific people or things in a previously mentioned group.

some of them – Refers to an unspecified part of a previously mentioned group.

all of them – Refers to every member of a previously mentioned group.

🔄 Synonyms

those (pron.) – Used to refer to specific people or things already mentioned or known.

🌱 Derivatives

themselves (pron.) – Used as the object of a verb or preposition when the subject and object are the same group.

📖 Cultural Story

The pronoun 'them' originates from Old English 'þǣm', the dative plural form of the definite article. It has remained a core object pronoun through centuries of English evolution, serving to refer to groups efficiently.