Meaning of "this" in a sentence

Question

Hi teachers,"This requires a commitment to strong basic principles of business ethics and good judgment.  To assist with this, the company has institued a series of policies and procedures to reaffirm XX's dedication to the highest ethical standards."1.  Does "this" in the sentence refer to "strong basic principle of business ethics and good judgment"?2.  In order to assist (#1), the company has a series of policies and procedures for assistance.  Is this correct?Thank you.TN

Mr Wordy · Accepted Answer

1. The highlighted "this" seems to be used in a slightly vague way to refer to "the things mentioned in the preceding text". If I had to choose, I'd say "To assist with this" means "To assist with fulfilling this commitment".

2. They've "instituted" such policies and procedures, which means they've put them in place (probably recently). These policies and procedures will reaffirm their dedication to high ethical standards and thereby assist them in fulfilling the commitment to the principles mentioned.

Tinanam0102 · Answer

Dear Mr. Wordy,

Sorry for not being clear.

The whole sentence is "Suppliers should comply themselves to XX's codes of conduct. This requires a commitment to strong basic principles of business ethics and good judgment. To assist with this, the company has institued a series of policies and procedures to reaffirm XX's dedication to the highest ethical standards."

> Would the first "this" be replaced by "That" or "...codes of conduct, which requires..."?

> Would the second "this" be replaced by "that"?

Thank you.

Tinanam

Mr Wordy · Answer

The first sentence isn't quite right. "comply" can't be used transitively, and you comply with something not to something. Also, "should" seems a bit vague (does it mean they must comply, or does it just mean it would be nice if they did?) and the standard expression is "code of conduct". So, I'd write "Suppliers are required to comply with XX's code of conduct."

"that" (instead of "this") is possible in both places (it tends to distance the writer from the subject), but "this" seems more natural to me, especially in the second instance. It's awkward to switch between "that" and "this", so the options are "this" in both places or "that" in both places. I much prefer the first option.

"...code of conduct, which requires..." is fine. In fact, I think it's an improvement because it eliminates the repetition of "this".

Tinanam0102 · Answer

Hi Mr. Wordy,

Thanks for explaining the transitive usage for "comply".

"Suppliers are required to comly with XX's code of conduct. This requires a commitment to strong basic principles of business ethics and good judgment. To assist with this, the company has institued a series of policies and procedures to reaffirm XX's dedication to the highest ethical standards."

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When you explain "This" is referring to the preceding sentence, I have one question in mind, that is Nominal "that" clause I learned from school:

"That vitamin C prevents colds is well known"

"That she has known him for a long time influenced her decision."

"That the library is closed is likely.

This does not have any preceding sentence before it to describe. May I know if this sentence structure is the same with the one "This requires a commitment to ...." even though "This" is used in this case? Thank you.

Regards,

Tinanam

Mr Wordy · Answer

In your original example about the suppliers, "this" (or, if you used it, "that") are demonstrative pronouns. They substitute for a noun or a noun phrase that has been specifically mentioned or is implied by context, or they refer in a slightly vaguer way to the situation in which one finds onself or the circumstances under discussion. Your original example was:

"Suppliers are required to comply with XX's code of conduct. This requires a commitment to strong basic principles of business ethics and good judgment. To assist with this, the company has ..."

When we hit the first "this" we look back at the prior context to find the thing that "this" refers to. Here it seems to be the compliance. So, the sentence means "Compliance with XX's code of conduct requires a commitment..."

When we hit the second "this" we do the same thing. Here it's not quite so clear if "this" refers to the compliance or the commitment, but it hardly matters so we don't dwell on it. We assume it means "the things that have been previously mentioned" and move on.

If "that" had been used instead of "this" then exactly the same would apply. We'd look at the things just mentioned to find out what "that" referred to.

In your second set of examples, "that" is a relative pronoun in an inverted sentence structure.

Usual structure: "It is well known that vitamin C prevents colds."

Inverted structure: "That vitamin C prevents colds is well known."

Here, "that" does not substitute for a noun and does not refer back to anything previously mentioned. The whole phrase "That vitamin C prevents colds" behaves as a noun.

This inverted structure is relatively unusual. It's usually only used in formal writing and it can sound strained or unnaturally convoluted. Your last example is a case in point. "That the library is closed is likely" is a dog of a sentence. I can't imagine anyone ever using it.

Tinanam0102 · Answer

Dear Mr. Wordy,

Thank you for a very detailed explanation. Regarding "Suppliers..." sentence, I wish I could have found one better than this example.

I hope you don't mind me asking, what is "a dog of a sentence" when you said that?

Thank you again.

Tinanam

Mr Wordy · Answer

tinanam0102I hope you don't mind me asking, what is "a dog of a sentence" when you said that?

A "dog" here means an inferior, unattractive or unpleasant thing. It's an informal expression.

Tinanam0102 · Answer

Hi Mr. Wordy,

Thank you for your help.

Regards,

Tinanam

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