this is and it is

[Ju]

question : May said, "Whose book is this ?"

answer A : Bo said, " This is Ming's book."

answer B : Bo said, " It is Ming's book."
_______________________________________________________________________________

I would choose answer A because the use of "This is" is corresponding to the question "is this".

I would not choose answer B becasue the use of "It is" is not corresponding to the question "is it".

But I found the answer B was used on a textbook for English.


Kindly advise.

Thank you.

 

[bhaisahab]

question : May said, "Whose book is this ?"

answer A : Bo said, " This is Ming's book."

answer B : Bo said, " It is Ming's book."
_______________________________________________________________________________

I would choose answer A because the use of "This is" is corresponding to the question "is this".

I would not choose answer B becasue the use of "It is" is not corresponding to the question "is it".

But I found the answer B was used on a textbook for English.


Kindly advise.

Thank you.

B is the most natural answer.

 

[emsr2d2]

However, A is not wrong and, as usual, it's an unfair question. bhaisahab is right, though. We more frequently use "It is/It's" in such a question?

Whose car is this?
It's mine/It's my car.

Whose newspaper is that?
It's Dave's.

Note that we generally only use "It's" when we have mentioned "this/that".

Whose house is on the hill?
Sarah's [house is on the hill].

Whose car is parked outside my house?
Kevin's [car is parked outside my house].

 

[Ju]

Thank you for all your reponse.

However, for all the other questions in textbook, we alway explain to kids that we need to repeat the later part of the
question followed by the answers. For the subject case, should I explan to them it is an exceptional case so as to
minimise confusion for the kids?

Thank you.

 

[Winwin2011]

Thank you for all your reponse.

However, for all the other questions in textbook, we alway explain to kids that we need to repeat the later part of the
question followed by the answers. For the subject case, should I explan to them it is an exceptional case so as to
minimise confusion for the kids?

Thank you.

Not a teacher

When my child was in kindergarten, he was confused because of the following:

[In book A]
A: What is this?
B: This is a balloon.

A: What is that?
B: That is a bicycle.

[In book B]
A: What is this?
B: It is a clock.

A: What is that?
B: It is a picture.

 

[5jj]

I have found that far more confusion is eventually caused if learners (of any age) are misled.

The most natural answer in a normal situation to the question, "Whose book is this?" is "Ming's." Then come: "It's Ming's", "It's Ming's book" and, least natural in everyday conversation, "It is Ming's book". If the person responding is not close to the book, "that" is a possible alternative to "it" in all the utterances. Unless s/he takes the book in his/her hand or points to it if it is very close, then "this" is not natural in any of them.

However, for all the other questions in textbook, we always explain to kids that we need to repeat the later part of the question followed by the answers.

I don't know what the other questions and answers you refer to are, but this seems to me not very sound. If the question is, for example, "What is the capital of China?", natural answers are: "Beijing", "Beijing is" and "It's Beijing". If the teacher is insisting on an answer such as "Beijing is the capital of China", the student is producing correct English, but not a very natural response to the question.

From what you wrote about how you explain things, it seems that you expect the response "The capital of China is Beijing". Once again, that is correct English, but is the least natural response to that question. In normal conversation, and indeed in letters and emails, we tend to focus on answering the question word first in our response.

I realise that teachers in some countries are obliged to teach the forms and structures in the textbooks they are obliged to use. I sympathise with those teachers who are aware that the writers of these books are not the infallible people they are made out to be. If they have to teach flawed material, they will inevitably come up against problems when their students see things that contradict what they have been taught.

 

[Winwin2011]

I have found that far more confusion is eventually caused if learners (of any age) are misled.

If the question is, for example, "What is the capital of China?", natural answers are: "Beijing", "Beijing is" and "It's Beijing". If the teacher is insisting on an answer such as "Beijing is the capital of China", the student is producing correct English, but not a very natural response to the question.

.

Hi 5jj,
I’m very sorry. Could you further explain the following part,please?

If the teacher is insisting on an answer such as "Beijing is the capital of China",the student is producing correct English, but not a very natural response to the question.

Thanks.

 

[bhaisahab]

Hi 5jj,
I’m very sorry. Could you further explain the following part,please?

If the teacher is insisting on an answer such as "Beijing is the capital of China",the student is producing correct English, but not a very natural response to the question.

Thanks.

In reply to the question "What is the capital of China?" "Bejing is the capital of China" is correct. However, it's not what a native English speaker would say. As 5jj indicated, the most natural answers are "Bejing", Bejing is" and "It's Bejing".