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Is it 'this' or 'that' that conveys an anaphoric reference? I want to refer back to "that I wrote critical and analytical essays".

It is true that I wrote critical and analytical essays on a regular basis; that, however, did not satisfy my academic eagerness.

or?

It is true that I wrote critical and analytical essays on a regular basis; this, however, did not satisfy my academic eagerness.

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2 Answers 2

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The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language in its section (p1506) on anaphoric uses of this and that with noun phrases as antecedents states:

... both this and that can be used anaphorically - and in general one could be replaced by the other with very little effect on the meaning.

In contrast, Swan in Practical English Usage (p591) does detect a slight difference:

This is preferred when there is more to say about the new subject of discussion:

"Then in 1917 he met Andrew Lewis. This was a turning point in his career: the two men entered into a partnership that lasted until 1946, and ..."

(More natural than ... "That was a turning point ...")

It is likely that the OP's sentence will be followed by something more on the new subject (academic eagerness). For example:

It is true that I wrote critical and analytical essays on a regular basis; this, however, did not satisfy my academic eagerness. I also engaged in research ... etc.

Thus if we follow Swan, this is to be preferred to that in the context of the OP's sentence.

This, as the more present or proximal pronoun, may also better convey the sense that what is being referred to is relevant in the present context (for example, an application letter or cv). So, in the context I have assumed for the OP I would use this.

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    Does Swann say why it is to be preferred? And by whom it is to be preferred? Sounds like Swann alone. In general, which would you prefer for a position on evolution, or nuclear physics, or geology, or grammar: a firm opinion based on personal prejudice, or an unquestioned fact stated in a standard reference work? Nov 15, 2014 at 16:39
  • @JohnLawler. My answer offers an extract from the current gold standard in reference grammars (CGEL) and a very good prescriptive grammar for English language learners (Swan). I have also attempted to justify my slight personal preference for this in the context in which I assume the OP will be using the sentence. The OP and other viewers will presumably decide if my answer is helpful or not. If there is another standard reference with unquestioned facts about this particular usage it would be useful to know what it is.
    – Shoe
    Nov 15, 2014 at 17:09
  • I see. Then, since Swann's book is for non-native speakers, he must prefer for them to speak by rules that are different from the ones that native speakers use, which are what Huddleston and Pullum report. A strange situation, indeed. Nov 15, 2014 at 18:24
  • H&P state that "in general" this could be replaced by that with "very little effect on the meaning". Perhaps Swan has identified a particular context where there is "a non-negligible effect on the meaning". I found it interesting that Swan provided a possible explanation for my intuitive slight preference for this in OP's context.
    – Shoe
    Nov 15, 2014 at 18:56
  • Even better, a firm opinion based on a personal prejudice that matches one's own. What could be a better source of authority? Nov 15, 2014 at 19:02
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It's true that this is used in cataphoric reference and that hardly ever; but they are also both widely used in anaphor, the basic difference then being that this is proximal, that distal.

In practice, however, unless there are two likely referents to distinguish between, they are pretty much interchangeable in anaphor.

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