We've been getting some inquiries about "these ones" lately, so we decided to make it part of this week's That What They Say lightning round.
The general concern is that "these ones" is redundant — that if you use "these," you don't also need "ones." Some will go so far as to say "these ones" sounds childish or uneducated.
Curiously, people are not complaining about phrases like "this one" or "that one." If you make "this one" plural, it becomes "these ones." So, is the concern that "ones" shouldn't be plural?
Not likely. We talk about "loved ones," and we say things like, "the ones in the corner," and no one seems concerned about "the ones."
Curiously, concern over "these ones" disappears if you place a modifier in the middle of the phrase. You can say things like, "I like these red ones" or "These chocolate ones are his favorite," and no eyebrows are raised.
"These ones" isn't new. There are examples that go back to the 1600s and 1700s, but it does appear to be on the rise.
It's more frequent in British English, where usage increased dramatically over much of the 20th century. In American English, "these ones" has been increasing in frequency over the last 30 years.
In addition to "these ones," we also talked about "search it up" and current usage of "talk" alongside "chat." To hear about these ones, listen to the audio above.
