Demonstrative adjectives

[Anonymous]

When referring to something that has no physical location (such as a set of rules), is it o.k. to use 'that' instead of 'this'? For example:

'That set of rules is now obsolete.' instead of 'This set of rules is now obsolete.'

Are there rules regarding this usage?

Many thanks,
L. Irvin

[Tdol]

When referring to something that has no physical location (such as a set of rules), is it o.k. to use 'that' instead of 'this'? For example:

'That set of rules is now obsolete.' instead of 'This set of rules is now obsolete.'

Are there rules regarding this usage?

Many thanks,
L. Irvin

I would say it depends upon the speaker and the perceived distance between them and the rules. If I were talking about old rules, I'd use that and this for something recent.