This is versus It is

[englishhobby]

Consider the following situation: two men are in the museum, a tour guide has come up to them. One man says to the other: It's our tour guide./This is our tour guide. Are both variants correct from the point of view of a native speaker of English in this particular situation?

[Kondorosi]

Consider the following situation: two men are in the museum, a tour guide has come up to them. One man says to the other: It's our tour guide./This is our tour guide. Are both variants correct from the point of view of a native speaker of English in this particular situation?

Demonstrative pronouns are not usually used to refer to humans. A major exception to this rule , though, is when they are used in introductions.

This is our tour guide.
It is our tour guide. ('It' is not a demonstrative pronoun)
(S)he is our tour guide.

[Nightmare85]

It is our tour guide. ('It' is not a demonstrative pronoun)
(S)he is our tour guide.

Question:
She, a little girl, is our tour guide.
He, an old man, is our tour guide.
It, a monkey , is our tour guide. (this is not that impossible )

Is "it" definitely wrong, anyway?

Cheers!

[Kondorosi]

'it' is reserved for inanimate things. Animals are borderline beings. Sometimes they are referred to by he or she.

[Nightmare85]

Okay, it is a bit difficult for me fully to understand this now, but I will remember your words

Thanks!

Cheers!

[bhaisahab]

Demonstrative pronouns are not usually used to refer to humans. A major exception to this rule , though, is when they are used in introductions.

This is our tour guide.
It is our tour guide. ('It' is not a demonstrative pronoun)
(S)he is our tour guide.

"Who is that?" "It's our tour guide". This is a perfectly correct exchange.

[euncu]

'it' is reserved for inanimate things.

However, you can use "it" when you call someone who you know by phone wants to know who you are and you reply as "it's me!".

It is true for the situation that you knock the door of someone you know and when he/she answers the door by asking you who you are , you say "it's me"

[englishhobby]

"Who is that?" "It's our tour guide". This is a perfectly correct exchange.

And if no one asks "Who's that?", if the speaker is just informing his friend or colleague that the person who has come up to them is going to be their tour guide, will it be correct to say "It's our tour guide" without any introduction and not as an a answer to a question?

[bhaisahab]

And if no one asks "Who's that?", if the speaker is just informing his friend or colleague that the person who has come up to them is going to be their tour guide, will it be correct to say "It's our tour guide" without any introduction and not as an a answer to a question?

Yes, for example: "Oh look, it's our tour guide".

[englishhobby]

Yes, for example: "Oh look, it's our tour guide".

And is there any difference between "Look, this is our tour guide" and "Look, it's our tour guide"?Are these interchangeable in this situation without any change of meaning?