Questions tagged [this-that]
The this-that tag has no usage guidance.
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Is "This is my family" an acceptable response to "Who are they?"? [duplicate]
Context: suppose that I am looking at a family picture in an album in my friend’s house.
Who are they?
It’s my family. (correct)
That’s my family. (correct)
This is my family. (wrong)
They are my ...
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"that that"?!? how to properly express doubt about a distance object?
How do you express that a particular-unknown/undefined item performed a action?
Usually I would start my sentence with "I didn't knew that..." indicating a general unawareness. A possible ...
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Can "this" and "that" be used interchangeably in some contexts? [duplicate]
As I understand, in English, when we are talking about something so close that we can (literally or figuratively) point our finger to, we can use "this".
This cake is great. (implies the ...
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What is best to use in written language: 'that is' or 'this is' [duplicate]
I am interested to know if in written formal language this is reads better than that is
She goes to the library every Friday, and that is/this is her weekly respite.
Also, I often come across ...
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Determiners: This and that. Has “that” replaced “this”?
I'm confused. As far as I know, this is reserved for something that is right ahead of speakers and/or speakers talk about that item the whole conversation. That is reserved for something that is not ...
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Confusion on using this/that and that/those
I have confusion regarding the use of that/those and this/that properly.
My first question:
Jobs those are generally involved in a lot of repetitive work are boring.
Jobs that are generally ...
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Using ‘this’ in preference to ‘that’ or ‘it’ for a memory or future occurrence
Apologies if this has been asked, as maybe I’m inept with the search function.
I’ve been given a paragraph that I feel is incorrect:
I’m listening to the radio as I drive to work, and The Beach ...
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Not enough ado about this and that
OK, so demonstrative pronouns and their inconsistent use across dialects.
I'm South African and have noticed a quirk in some Brit and Yank usages of this and that which really cause me to break out ...
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Difference between "this" and "that" when referring to a previous sentence
I have checked this site.
We use this or that to refer to something with special emphasis – indicating an interesting new fact has been mentioned.
We use this or that to refer to a new topic, ...
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Thoughts on this/that [duplicate]
I'm talking with someone and I want to know what they think about a specific topic (which was discussed priviously), which of the following should I use:
What are your thoughts on that
or
What are ...
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This vs That in usage with concepts [duplicate]
So, the question that's always been bugging me is:
What is the proper usage of "This" and "That", not when it comes to objects or things, but when it comes to concepts.
For example, there's a ...
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Can "this", "that" and their plurals be used as substantive adjectives in formal writing?
For example:
Stein’s avant-garde collection challenges the reader to think of
ordinary, everyday objects and concepts in ways that they hadn’t
before. This is in direct contrast to...
I was ...
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Usage of this and that almost interchangeably
Here and there the usage of the words this and that look artbitrary and often completely interchangeably.
Example
Today the politician Pete Brown stated that the CIA bribed the
president's ...
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What's up with "this," in Old English(Ænȝlıſ͡ċ/Anglo Saxon‽)
I am asking two things here, about Ænȝlıſċ (Old English)
First and foremost, see this picture here:
– which was taken from this page:
QUESTION 1:
What is the difference between these two words: "...
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Use of 'this' – relates to the directly preceding noun
I am a german native speaker. I am currently in the finishing stages of writing a thesis. One of my advisors (English is his mother tongue) provided feedback on the language of my writing.
One point ...
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That is what …. . This is what …. Can these be used interchangeably here?
I’ve been wondering if "That is what….," and "This is what ….," in the following passage (taken from Fieldfish.com) can be used interchangeably.
Imagine you are an unmarried ...
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"This one is" OR "This is"
I have seen people using "This one is Daddy's" with the word "one" before a form of the verb be. I am confused about which is more accurate, to use:
This is Daddy's.
or
This one is Daddy's.
...
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"Then this" vs "Then that" [duplicate]
I have the following paragraph:
We often write hundreds of lines of code to express simple concepts. This code takes time to develop and maintain - and if you’re writing tests, then that time ...
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This is right. Or that is right? [duplicate]
Opinions sought. I vaguely remember that the expression "This is right" (meaning "I agree with what you just said") appeared in the 1970s. And I remember it because, if I remember correctly, it ...
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That vs This in uncommon contexts
I can see the difference between "this" / "that" in most common contexts.
There are a couple of unusual ones, though, that are still pretty unclear to me.
Here are some of them:
1.A friend of mine ...
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When to use "this" or "that"?
It is 10 cm on the map. That is 100 km in real terms.
I am proofreading and it seems odd that the writer always uses that in these cases.
I would have said this.
Who is right and who is wrong?
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"To this end" or "To that end"
Is there a usage note for choosing between these two phrases? Nothing in Garner. And I've seen it both ways.
Example:
To that end, we propose the following compromise.
or
To this end, we ...
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Is it correct to use the phrase "pay attention" with "that"?
Is it correct to say "Pay attention that..."? or must I use "Pay attention to..."
For example: "An attention should be paid that this is a one-way street".
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What is the difference between "happy to hear that" and "happy to hear this"?
Let's say I've sold a product to a customer.
A bit later the costumer tells me "wow, this is fantastic".
Now, do I better answer with "Thanks, I am glad to hear that" or "Thanks, I am glad to hear ...
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How can I explain a word used in a previous sentence?
I am defining a "thing" with an adjective.
Example:
X is a small y.
Then I want to give a clean and simple explanation for the adjective small --because it can mean several things and I want to ...
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In answering a telephone call, why do you say "Who is this?" instead of "Who is that?"
On the telephone, the person answering it may say "Who is calling?" or "Who is this?"
Why do you say "this" to the caller on the other end of the phone? Is is wrong to say "Who is that?"
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This, that and it for non-material objects [duplicate]
The question is not about how to use "this, that, it" with material objects, but how to use them with non-material ones? I don't understand (it, that, this) yet.
For example:
I go to a gym ...
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Could I use 'this' to introduce a person? [closed]
Which of the sentences below are correct?
This’s my best friend, William.
Those’re my classmates, James and Harry.
That’s my teacher, Mrs Wilson.
UPDATE: I just took an exam. The correct ...
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When to use “this" and when to use “that”? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Using “that” and “this” interchangeably
What is the difference?
What do you think about that?
What do you think about this?
What is the grammar rule about using this and ...
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"this way" vs "that way" [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Using “that” and “this” interchangeably
When should I use "this way" or "that way"? Is there any difference between these two when they used in a sentences? ...
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Difference between “this” and “that” [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
“… things like this.” vs. “… things like that.”
I have two sentences for both this and that.
This is what bothers me: we have no time to consider late ...
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What is the difference between "this" and "that" [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Using “that” and “this” interchangeably
Is there a clear delineation between the usages of 'this' and 'that' in American English?
Is ...
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"… things like this." vs. "… things like that."
Yesterday on talk radio an interviewee speaking about Sudanese Northerner's being forced into the mountains and away from their farmlands by the Sudanese Army said the result was:
The men would ...
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"This paper" vs "That paper" in an abstract
I'm writing an absctract for a paper.
In Portuguese we write esse trabalho (that paper) to indicate that the paper is near the person that we are adressing.
We use este trabalho (this paper) to ...
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"that" or "this"
I know a trivial difference of "that" and "this" uses. Such as the difference between "this chair" and "that chair".
But I don't understand one case. When one person is coming into a room and another ...
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"In that case" vs "in this case" [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Using “that” and “this” interchangeably
Imagine a dialog:
Me: Can I have a Guinness, please?
Bartender: We run out of Guinness, mate.
Me: In that case, I'll have a pint of Fursty ...
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"This" vs "that" [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Using “that” and “this” interchangeably
I wanted to know the differences between this and that.
When do you use one or the other? For example:
Too ...
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"At this time" vs "At that time"
Is it acceptable to use "at this time" when referring to a specific point in time in the past? While in the process of telling a story, for example, that happens completely in the past?
To me it just ...
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In non-spatial contexts, when should I use "this" versus "that"?
I'm always quite confused to choose which word should I put in the sentence like this/that :)
That/This is not a problem at all.
To be or not to be, this/that is the question.
I know which one I ...
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Should I write "calling himself in this/that way" here?
In my text I am trying to say, that it is not clear what intentions the person had, by calling themselves in a certain way (let's say Foobar).
My question is should I use "calling himself this way" ...
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Using "that" and "this" interchangeably
Learning and using English I'm always confused about what word to use for referring to things that have been described by me a few sentences earlier: "that" or "this".
Confusion comes from the fact ...
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