Could you tell me why?
I’ve checked and checked over “Swan”, it seems I can’t found out the answer. (I’m not sure if I overlooked again! :shock
NOT A TEACHER
(1) As usual, you have asked an excellent question.
(2) I, too, am waiting for Teacher Fivejedjon (or some other teacher) to answer
this, for I have never been able to find a definite answer to the question: When do
we use "this/these" and "that/those" when referring to something that has already
been mentioned.
(3) Many experts have told me that there is no rule (You notice that Teacher Fivejedjon
tells us that either "these" or "those" is possible in your sentence, although he prefers
"these.")
(4) One very qualified English teacher told me: "It is not unusual for the speaker to
refer to a point he himself has made as
this and to a point by the other person as
that."
(5) Consider:
(a) You listed 5 sentences.
(b) Then you wrote: I have been trying to understand ___ structures . I am trying
to build a habit to spot them out.
(6) Well, we could say that "these" is correct because -- as that English teacher
said -- you are referring to some points you yourself have made.
(7) Also, maybe we can use "these" because your sentence is so near the
five sentences. In fact, your sentence comes right after you list 5 sentences.
As you know, we use "this" for things closer to us and "that" for things farther from us.
(8) The good news: As Teacher Fivejedjon taught us, if you used "those," no one could
really say that you are "wrong."
(9) Well, it's time for this old man to hit the sack (go to bed). When I return tomorrow
morning, I hope that Teacher Fivejedjon (or someone else) will have given us the
answer to a question that has long confused me, too.