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- Someone has been calling me all morning
- Don't worry, these are just spam calls
I realize that "calls" are in plular and thus we should use "these/those", but is it possible to use "it" here ("it's just spam calls") Of course "it" usually denotes something in singular, but from my understanding, "it" can be used here reffering to the action "calling"or to the sentence 1 on the whole.
I would also like to know why we can't use "they" here. Thank you!
As a general rule, "it/this" refer to singular nouns; "they/these" refer to plural nouns.
As you're talking about spam calls in the plural, you should really use 'they' or 'these'.
The difference between the two pronouns is that 'they' refers to something distant, not present or presently occurring. Use 'these' when referring to something present, in view, or being highlighted. So, in your specific example, where the most recent call has ended and the others referred to are in the past, use 'they'.
