Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[jasonlulu_2000]

This way travelers may still be able to return home in time for the Lunar New Year holiday, which starts Wednesday evening.

From the sentence, we can conclude that ___________.
A.The Lunar New Year's Eve is Tuesday
B. The Lunar New Year's Eve is Wednesday

2, In terms of fast food, 45 percent of the British agree with the statement "I like the taste of fast food too much to give it up".

How many British can't deny themselves fast food?
A. 55 percent B. 45 percent

3. The British are not so familiar with different cultures and other ways of doing things. _____ is often the case in other countries.
A. It B. That

When used to refer to the above-mentioned thing, is there any difference between "it" and "that"?

[dragn]

[jasonlulu_2000]

Thank you very much.


You said the following:
We probably use that because we specifically want to refer back to the thing we just mentioned, and we "point" at it with the word that. It just doesn't do that.

Could you explain more clearly?

thanks again

[dragn]

Words like this, that, those, and these are sometimes used to direct the listener's attention to a certain thing or group of things. They "point" at things, for lack of a better word. For example:

A: Hand me the book on the table.
B: You mean this one?
A: No, the one beside it. Yeah, that one.

This is basically the reason we use the word that in your sentence:

The British are not so familiar with different cultures and other ways of doing things. That, that fact that I just mentioned in the preceding sentence, is often the case in other countries.

Hope this helps.

Greg

[jasonlulu_2000]

Now I see.