Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

jasonlulu_2000 · Joined: 19 Mar 2006 Posts: 879

He is honest and warm-hearted. ____ is why we trust him.
A. It B. That C. This

The given answer is B. But i think A also can refer to the thing mentioned before. Am i right?

thanks.

buddhaheart · Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 10:25 pm Post subject:

In the context you mentioned, �that & �this� are demonstrative pronouns. �It� is an impersonal pronoun. �That� is a pronoun used for person (�He� in this case) already mentioned or understood in the 1st statement, one that�s to be emphasized or contrasted with another (some other person or persons) nearer in place or time or in thought. �That� is therefore a logical choice. �It�, being an impersonal pronoun, is not a candidate. Further, �it� is used as the subject of a sentence that doesn�t refer to an agent, i.e., as an expletive. �It� therefore does work in this statement. �It� is also used as the subject of a sentence that anticipates the real or logical one that comes later. It can�t fulfill that role here.