The words “such” and “these” are often confused with each other due to their nature of supporting a sentence where similar situations are being mentioned. Both these words help to divert focus towards the main subject of the sentence.
Such vs These
The main difference between such and these is that the former takes into account events of similar form and nature. At the same time, the latter is used to speak about events that hold some similarity to a singular subject mentioned in the sentence.
The word “such” is used when we are talking about a particular group of events or things that share some form of similarities.
The word “these” is used to talk about certain events or situations that relate to the subject of the sentence.
Comparison Table Between Such and These (in Tabular Form)
| Parameters of Comparison | Such | These |
|---|---|---|
| Word class | “Such” exists in many forms of speech, such as – predeterminer, determiner, noun, pronoun, and adjective. | The word “these” is found in the following word classes – Determiner and pronoun. |
| Origin | First used before the 1000s, during the early Middle English era, and is related to the dutch word “zulk”. | It was first used during the Old English era, before the early 900s, as a derivation from the Old Norse language. |
| Usage in a sentence | “Such” is used to convey multiple situations or objects that have something in common with each other. | “These” is used to mention other events or objects that are similar to a main subject within the sentence. |
| Example | “The problem with such companies is that they are resilient when it comes to adapting to modern technology.” | “These clothes share a striking resemblance to the ones that I lost four years ago!” |
| Synonyms | The words that are related to “such” are – akin, alike, analogous, like, and comparable | Synonyms of “these” are – “The particular” and “the above-mentioned”. |
When to Use Such?
The word “such” was seen to have originated during the Middle English era as early as the 10th century. The term is closely related to the dutch word “zulk”, and also derived its meaning from it.
In terms of word class, we see that “such” exists as a–
- Predeterminer
- Determiner
- Noun
- Pronoun
- Adjective
The frequent use of the word is seen in instances of emphasising an action or building a relation between events. And with the above-mentioned “parts of speech”, the meaning and usage of “such” mostly remain the same.
As a predeterminer, adjective and determiner, “such” is used in a sentence to support nouns or noun phrases, to provide greater emphasis on the subject matter.
Example –
- “I’m so glad they released Spiderman this week, it’s such a good movie.”
- “He is so innocent. The world isn’t a good place for such children.”
- “The food they serve at this restaurant is such a delight to have.”
Another frequent use of the word “such” is to help interrelate objects, events, or situations which share some similarity or have something in common with each other.
Example –
- “The amount of oil being spilt by such multinational companies is the reason why we cannot advance further in the world.”
- “Never let the negativity of judgement affect you; such people just wish to hurt your feelings.”
One can also use “such” to emphasise the truth or fact stated in a sentence. Here, the word behaves as a noun. Example – “We do not have an office area as such, but we do have a small workstation at home.”
When to Use These?
The word “These” was commonly used before the early 900s, as a derivation from the Old Norse language.
The word “these” is the plural form of “this”. In terms of word class, we can see that it exists in the following two forms –
- Determiner
- Pronoun
When talking about the existence in the form of a determiner and pronoun, a primary use would be to talk about multiple events that share something in common with a subject or object already mentioned in the context or sentence.
Example –
- “The past few days have thought us to take these moments with our families and cherish them as much as we can.”
- “Each one of us has a responsibility to take care of these animals and nurture them as our own.”
- “These men have shown great courage and bravery while walking into the face of danger and protecting our country.”
Main Differences Between Such and These
- The word “such” belongs to word classes – predeterminer, determiner, pronoun and noun. “These” is only present in the form of determiner and pronoun.
- Origin of the word “such” was during the 10th century, and is related to the dutch word “zulk”. “These” was used during the 900s in the Old English era.
- “Such” can only take into account multiple events to co-relate, but “these” talks about both singular and numerous activities.
- “Such” is used to correlate the objects that share something in common, while “these” is used to relate a subject in the sentence with other similar situations.
- The words that are similar in meaning to “such” are – akin, alike, analogous, like, and comparable. Words mean the same as “these” – “The particular” and “the above-mentioned”.
Conclusion
The words “Such” and “these” have similar meanings, but they differ when it comes to how they are used in a sentence. “Such” can be used to correlate numerous objects and situations that share something in common, and even help provide emphasis to a noun in a sentence or even truth.
While “these” is explicitly used to mention specific events that are similar to a subject in the sentence. But either way, we can easily see that the two words are entirely different within the context they are used.
References
- https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/these
- https://www.dictionary.com/browse/such?s=t