It and That

2024-11-30

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1
  • Hello! This week on Ask a Teacher, we answer a question from Masa in Japan about the usage of the words "it" and "that" in English conversation.
    • 2
  • Dear teacher,
    • 3
  • I'd like to ask about [the choice of] pronouns, either "it" or "that," in my English conversation.
    • 4
  • Sometimes, I'm confused about [choosing] these words.
    • 5
  • Thank you,
    • 6
  • Masa
    • 7
  • I'm happy to answer this question, Masa.
    • 8
  • We usually use the word "it" to describe a general state of our environment or a situation.
    • 9
  • And we often use the word "that" to answer something specific that someone said.
    • 10
  • Let's consider the word "it" first.
    • 11
  • To describe a state means to describe what the environment or situation is like.
    • 12
  • The word "it" gives us a quick way of doing this.
    • 13
  • And we typically contract the word "it" with the verb "is" and say "It's".
    • 14
  • So instead of saying:
    • 15
  • The weather is very cold in Siberia in the winter.
    • 16
  • We can simply say:
    • 17
  • It's very cold in Siberia in the winter.
    • 18
  • Similarly, we can say:
    • 19
  • It's noisy here.
    • 20
  • It's crowded right now on the train.
    • 21
  • We can also use the word "it" to describe what it is like to do something in general. Consider these examples:
    • 22
  • It's difficult to find a good hotel in that city.
    • 23
  • It's normal to feel nervous before giving a speech.
    • 24
  • Now, let's consider the word "that."
    • 25
  • Instead of describing the state of an environment, each of the following examples shows a person responding to a specific statement.
    • 26
  • A: I'm surprised you disagree with her.
    • 27
  • B: No, no, that is not what I mean. I agree with what she said.
    • 28
  • A: Is that your explanation?
    • 29
  • B: That is the best answer I can give you.
    • 30
  • A: Did Diane say she was leaving her job?
    • 31
  • B: That is what I heard.
    • 32
  • So, in general, when you answer to someone in conversation, you can use the word "that."
    • 33
  • However, there are times when we use the word "it" to answer something specific.
    • 34
  • For example, if someone asks you if you enjoy an activity, you can reply:
    • 35
  • Yes, it's great. I love it.
    • 36
  • There are many more uses of the word "that."
    • 37
  • You can read and listen to a previous Ask a Teacher program: This and That.
    • 38
  • For our readers and listeners, what are your questions about American English?
    • 39
  • We'd like to hear from you.
    • 40
  • Send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com.
    • 41
  • And please include where you are from in your email, too.
    • 42
  • And that's Ask a Teacher.
    • 43
  • I'm Andrew Smith.
    • 1
  • Hello! This week on Ask a Teacher, we answer a question from Masa in Japan about the usage of the words "it" and "that" in English conversation.
    • 2
  • Question'
    • 3
  • Dear teacher,
    • 4
  • I'd like to ask about [the choice of] pronouns, either "it" or "that," in my English conversation. Sometimes, I'm confused about [choosing] these words.
    • 5
  • Thank you,
    • 6
  • Masa
    • 7
  • Answer
    • 8
  • I'm happy to answer this question, Masa.
    • 9
  • We usually use the word "it" to describe a general state of our environment or a situation. And we often use the word "that" to answer something specific that someone said.
    • 10
  • Let's consider the word "it" first. To describe a state means to describe what the environment or situation is like. The word "it" gives us a quick way of doing this. And we typically contract the word "it" with the verb "is" and say "It's". So instead of saying:
    • 11
  • The weather is very cold in Siberia in the winter.
    • 12
  • We can simply say:
    • 13
  • It's very cold in Siberia in the winter.
    • 14
  • Similarly, we can say:
    • 15
  • It's noisy here.
    • 16
  • It's crowded right now on the train.
    • 17
  • We can also use the word "it" to describe what it is like to do something in general. Consider these examples:
    • 18
  • It's difficult to find a good hotel in that city.
    • 19
  • It's normal to feel nervous before giving a speech.
    • 20
  • Now, let's consider the word "that." Instead of describing the state of an environment, each of the following examples shows a person responding to a specific statement.
    • 21
  • A: I'm surprised you disagree with her.
    • 22
  • B: No, no, that is not what I mean. I agree with what she said.
    • 23
  • A: Is that your explanation?
    • 24
  • B: That is the best answer I can give you.
    • 25
  • A: Did Diane say she was leaving her job?
    • 26
  • B: That is what I heard.
    • 27
  • So, in general, when you answer to someone in conversation, you can use the word "that."
    • 28
  • However, there are times when we use the word "it" to answer something specific. For example, if someone asks you if you enjoy an activity, you can reply:
    • 29
  • Yes, it's great. I love it.
    • 30
  • There are many more uses of the word "that." You can read and listen to a previous Ask a Teacher program: This and That.
    • 31
  • For our readers and listeners, what are your questions about American English? We'd like to hear from you. Send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com. And please include where you are from in your email, too.
    • 32
  • And that's Ask a Teacher.
    • 33
  • I'm Andrew Smith.
    • 34
  • Andrew Smith wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English.