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  1. On this site there are links to books that I read. I recommend these/those books.
  2. Below on this page there are links to books that I read. I recommend these/those books.

Should I use these or those?

EDIT: I replaced “lists” with “links”.

NOTE: Each link redirects the visitor to another site.

user557108
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2 Answers2

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These is used for articles in your vicinity, close to you. It is assumed in the sentences "On this site there are lists of books that I read. I recommend these books" and "Below on this page is a list of books that I read. I recommend these books" that the list of books is close by, so it and its contents can be easily identified. If the list was far away (using those) you could not identify the books and would need to bring it close to you.

phenry
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user210127
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  • And when you select a list of your own links, it is now 'close' to you and become "these links". If you were comparing your list to another list, then the other one could be 'those links'. – Oldcat Feb 20 '14 at 18:06
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"These books" sounds more natural.

user11443
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  • In both cases? Why? – user557108 Feb 20 '14 at 10:28
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    Yes, in both cases. The items you're referring to are on the same page. They're relatively near to the user. If the user had to navigate to some other page to find the list, I would use "those" instead. – user11443 Feb 20 '14 at 10:31
  • In the first example I talk about the site as a whole, not about a specific page. Should I use these or those? – user557108 Feb 20 '14 at 10:36
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    "These" for both, because they are near rather than far. I would say the whole of a site is 'near'. If you were referring to a list of books on another site, they would be 'far', and thus 'those books'. – Phil H Feb 20 '14 at 10:37
  • What if I say “there are links to books”? Each link will redirect the visitor to another site. Should I use these or those? – user557108 Feb 20 '14 at 11:37
  • @user11443 I disagree. If I present a list of books, then I recommend these books. If I say there is a list of books, then I recommend those books. For both examples provided by the OP, unless the links are in sight (as in, they're just below or beside the text mentioning them), I would use those. If they were on a different page, or you have to search the page for them, they are not near enough to use these IMO. – Doc Feb 20 '14 at 19:24