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Teal lime Posted 9 years ago
Grammar
That vs. this
Here is an example taken from the online edition of The New York Times:
After Hurricane Harvey left part of Texas under water, Mexico offered to help its neighbor. That was before an earthquake and Hurricane Katia.
My question is this:
Why is it "That was before....." and not "This was before....."?
Thank you.
Top answer
"? It is the writer's choice. 'That' distances the event from the reader a bit, that is all.
- "?
- It is the writer's choice.
- 'That' distances the event from the reader a bit, that is all.
- I cannot tell you specifically why the writer chose 'that' over 'this'.
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1 Answers
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teal limeMy question is this:Why is it "That was before....." and not "This was before....."?
It is the writer's choice. 'That' distances the event from the reader a bit, that is all. I cannot tell you specifically why the writer chose 'that' over 'this'.
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