Literary notes about These (AI summary)
The word "these" serves as a versatile demonstrative pronoun in literature, functioning to draw immediate attention to specific groups, objects, or abstract ideas that have just been mentioned or are about to be explored. For example, in Verne’s description of animal behavior, “these animals” [1] quickly establishes focus on instinct and survival, while Livy’s “these hopes” [2] encapsulate collective aspirations that propel historical action. In other texts, “these” is employed to connect readers with concrete and abstract elements alike, as shown by Twain’s “these imaginary portraits” [3] and Dickens’s allusion to “these letters” [4] that hint at hidden narratives. By linking ideas rapidly and cohesively, “these” helps authors clarify the relationships between elements in their stories, ensuring that the reader remains grounded in the evolving scene or argument.
- These animals know by instinct how to gouge holes in the ice fields and keep them continually open; they go to these holes to breathe.
— from Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas: An Underwater Tour of the World by Jules Verne - Relying on these hopes, they run up to the gates, heap reproaches on them, with difficulty refrain from assaulting the camp.
— from The History of Rome, Books 01 to 08 by Livy - To me there is nothing tangible about these imaginary portraits, nothing that I can grasp and take a living interest in.
— from The Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain - These letters were written to Mrs. Sophia C. Hopkins, the only person to whom Miss Sullivan ever wrote freely.
— from The Story of My Life by Helen Keller
