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Danyoo Posted 20 years ago
Grammar

THIS by itself?

0Mary is afraid of flying. She insists on traveling by car so she doesn't have to face her fear. 01u00This has caused02u00 some friction with her husband.02br
02br
00In the above sentence, is it considered a bad practice to write "This has caused?" Is it better to write something like "This tendency has caused" or "This fear has caused?"0-
  

Top answer

0Hi,02br 02br 00No, it's fine, as long as it is clear what 'this ' refers to. 02br 02br 00Best wishes, Clive0-

— Clive

  • 0Hi,02br 02br 00No, it's fine, as long as it is clear what 'this ' refers to.
  • 02br 02br 00Best wishes, Clive0-
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7 Answers
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0Hi,02br
02br
00No, it's fine, as long as it is clear what 'this ' refers to. In fact, it's often or even usually good to be brief.02br
02br
00Best wishes, Clive0-
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0Whew that's good to know, Clive. From now on I am not going to mull over it and waste time!02br
02br
00By the way, what about your sentence "No, it's fine..." I know in spoken English it is rather common, but when writing, mustn't you always say "No, it isn't fine" or "Yes, it is fine?"0-
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0Hi,02br
02br
01font01i00is it considered a bad practice02i00 to write "This has caused?" 01i00Is it better to write something like02i00 "This tendency has caused" or "This fear has caused?"02font02br
02br
00When I wrote 'No, it's fine', I was just answering your questions. The
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0 01blockquote
01cite10Danyoo12cite10Mary is afraid of flying. She insists on traveling by car so she doesn't have to face her fear. 11u10This has caused12u10 some friction with her husband.12br
12br
10In the above sentence, is it considered a bad practice to write "This has caused?" Is it better to write s
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0 Okay Clive. I understand. Thanks for your answers. 0-
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0Hi Krish,02br
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00I certainly agree with your instructor that ambiguous references are undesirable. All I can do is repeat, more or less, my earlier answer. 01font00No, it's fine, as long as it is clear what01i00 the pronoun02i00 refers to.02font00 00Good writing should be clear, but pronouns don't ne
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0 01blockquote
01cite10Clive12cite10Hi Krish,12br
12br
10I certainly agree with your instructor that ambiguous references are undesirable. All I can do is repeat, more or less, my earlier answer. 11font10No, it's fine, as long as it is clear what11i10 the pronoun12i10 refers to.1
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