And with those words, he left.

[99bottles]

And with these/those words, he left.

This is a sentence I'm trying to write. I think that those is the correct choice and is referring to the words that person has just spoken, whereas these words would mean the words the narrator is speaking in that sentence. Have I got it right?

 

[emsr2d2]

I'd probably use "these" before the relevant words and "those" after.

And with these words, he left - "I hate you!"
"I hate you!", he said. And with those words, he left.

 

[99bottles]

I'd probably use "these" before the relevant words and "those" after.

And with these words, he left - "I hate you!"
"I hate you!", he said. And with those words, he left.

Three responses to me in a row -- you're awesome!

 

[99bottles]

I'd probably use "these" before the relevant words and "those" after.

And with these words, he left - "I hate you!"
"I hate you!", he said. And with those words, he left.

Bonus question: If I write a similar sentence when I narrate in the present tense, do I use these or those?

 

[Tarheel]

Apparently, parts of this forum have now become a game show.


If you give me a sample sentence I'm sure I sure I will be able to give you an opinion. (I'm having a hard time doing so otherwise.)

 

[99bottles]

Apparently, parts of this forum have now become a game show.


If you give me a sample sentence I'm sure I sure I will be able to give you an opinion. (I'm having a hard time doing so otherwise.)

The same sentence I wrote in the OP, except it's in the present tense: With these/those words, he leaves.