Is she right?

I think your sister was stupendously rude - and also wrong. In the instance of the earrings then either is correct. But in fact I think that "those" is most appropriate when there is a choice on offer e.g. several pairs of earrings and you might point to one and say I like those. If there is only one set, then them is fine in my book.

Where are my keys? I am always losing them.
I have a new pair of shoes - I really like them.
My neighbours are a pain in the arse - I really hate them.

and so on......

I suppose if someone stressed the 'them', as in 'I like them' it could be perceived as being 'wrong', as 'I like those' is strictly correct.

(i.e. those ones not them ones)

But it doesn't sound as though you and your sister get on very well anyway, Melanie, so try and forget it.

Does it matter. Think Aleppo.

This is pedants' corner. I'm sure we're all aware of the terrible things going on in the real world, thank you Izabella.

Absolutely!

I agree with luckygirl. You were using the pronoun 'them' to avoid repeating the noun 'earrings', as you would in 'There are a lot of ants around today. I don't like them.'
'those' is specifying a choice between various options: 'Most ants are black, but those are red.' ( I don't know why I chose ants )

I would have said " I love your Earrings"

Shanma - kinda missing the point. Or put the correct way "You are slightly missing the point".

I am just saying what I would have said. That is my point

The point of the discussion is "I like them" or "I like those" - which is correct. What you have done is veered the discussion around to your infinite superiority. Really? "I love your earrings" would have been a better thing to say. Well how enlightening. I'd better just get into my time machine and go back and correct myself.

Blimey

Izabella ignore the slap down you'll get use to it.

Watch out for the "TROLLS"

Melanie. May I suggest that you check your knickers this morning, it very much appears that you have them on in a twist.

Iam68now. Thank you, although I do not consider it a slap down. However, if I may put my post into some sort of context? Immediately before venturing onto this thread (for the first time) I had been viewing a particularly distressing video of theatre staff doing intracranial surgery on the hospital floor in Aleppo in the most dreadful conditions.

I must admit that I had never looked at this thread before and came on to see what what being discussed. As a former front line nurse who has worked all over the world in sometimes dreadful situations most cannot imagine, it probably should not have been the most natural thread to peruse for me. I naturally find preoccupation with such discussions hard to understand, but that is because of my life experiences and not because I have a gripe with either the OP or Ana's post.

Having studied both etymology and the English language at post graduate level I do understand how some people react as in the OP's statement. I was merely caught off guard and upset over a situation I have no control of - much like the changing state of the English Language, which "ain't wot it used ta be sithee like".

It depends entirely in the context of the conversation! eg if she said 'look at my new earrings' and you said 'I like them' it would be fine.
Obviously 'I like them earrings' would be wrong!
But if she said 'what do you think of these earrings?' 'I like those' would be wrong!
If you started the conversation by saying 'I like them' and pointing then that's wrong too , it should be 'I like those!'

Unless, of course, the OP had said 'I like them!' in the tone one would use when saying 'I like it!'...

Next time, tell her you dont like them !

Or 'those'...

Or you could tell her you still like them but you're not keen on her manners: correcting your speech when you're being positive and friendly.

Melanie

After "earringgate" how did the rest of your time together go? What did you do for fun?

I ask this really because I've got a wedding to go to where we didn't receive an invitation, my husband's daughter made them and just commented when we told her, that she'd got one, but didn't offer to do us another, didn't get invited to the hen party that the real grandmas and aunties got invited to either (photos all over facebook). (I'm step grandma). I can appreciate the slight and this sort of thing does tend to upset and colour one's judgement.

In spite of my comments above I would never correct anyone, friend family or acquaintance! It's just plain rude and offensive to do so! I only commented because we were asked!

I think it is quite in order to use either - although I suppose it might be a different story if you didn't like them!

The bottom line is that you can choose your friends but not your relatives as I know to my cost. I expect this is symptomatic of the whole relationship and so I offer to you the advice I give myself when 'duty socialising' , "Rise above it and either pretend it never happened or just laugh"

Sisters, who'd have 'em? Mine went over the top when my DS at 12 year old omitted to saying please when asking for a drink (he didn't drink alcohol, being 12 and it was all there was on the table so asked for juice). You would have thought he had chopped her head off! Goodness, she went all out at him for not having his manners. Only a few weeks after starting home schooling because of severe bullying too, and on Christmas Day! Needless to say, we didn't bother going again. I know manners are important and I have brought them up using them, obviously, but to jump down his throat over it was out of order.

Either is acceptable, but next time I just wouldn't comment.

Surely it is the height of bad manners to correct someone's grammar when having a conversation with him or her. It is, of course, the height of stupidity to "correct" something that isn't wrong in the first place.