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Coincidence Posted 12 years ago
Grammar

pronoun 'that'

Could you tell me whether the pronoun 'that' is ok it the sentence below?

I don't like jam. And you, do you like that?

Thank you for your help.
Kind regards.
  

Top answer

It seems confusing if "that" is supposed to refer to jam. g. something he or she is pointing at.

  • It seems confusing if "that" is supposed to refer to jam.
  • g.
  • something he or she is pointing at.
  • You can say: I don't like jam.
  • And you, do you like it ?
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6 Answers
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It seems confusing if "that" is supposed to refer to jam. It reads as if the speaker is changing the subject to ask about something else, e.g. something he or she is pointing at. You can say:

I don't like jam. And you, do you like it?
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Thank you.
Yes, I see. For me 'it' is natural in this sentence.

Nonetheless, assuming the speaker is still speaking about jam would 'that' be acceptable in this sentence?
I don't like jam. And you, do you like that?

I know we can use 'that' when we are pointing at something or refering to something that has already been mentioned, or is already known about:
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CoincidenceNonetheless, assuming the speaker is still speaking about jam would 'that' be acceptable in this sentence?I don't like jam. And you, do you like that?
Um, that is the same sentence. (Unless you mean to indicate that the word "that" is specially emphasised? This would make no difference to my original objection.)
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Thank you for your last post.
In your first post you have said that maybe the speaker is pointing at something different, asking about something different.

But let's imagine that we know what this situation looks like, the speaker is not pointing at anything different, he or she is still speaking about the same thing (jam). Would 'that' be acceptable in this sentence?

I don't
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CoincidenceBut let's imagine that we know what this situation looks like, the speaker is not pointing at anything different, he or she is still speaking about the same thing (jam). Would 'that' be acceptable in this sentence?
That was the first part of my answer:

"It seems confusing if 'that' is supposed to refer to jam."
Coincid

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