"Those" is a demonstrative pronoun used to refer to specific items or people that are farther away in distance or time. It helps to indicate a particular group or set of things, distinguishing them from others. For example, in the sentence "Those apples are ripe," the word "those" specifies which apples are being discussed. In addition to its use as a pronoun, "those" can also function as a determiner. It can modify nouns to provide clarity about which items are being referred to. For instance, "Those books on the shelf are mine" clearly identifies the books in question, making communication more precise.