by doing so/by doing that

[ringu20]

What is the difference between 'by doing so' and 'by doing that'?

 

[ringu20]

Keep your phone in your front pocket. In doing so, it won't get crushed.


Keep your phone in your front pocket. By doing that, you won't crush it. By doing so, you won't crush it.


What is the difference?

 

[Tarheel]

No difference in that context. (I've never heard of a phone getting crushed.)

 

[abaka]

Piscean's nailed it. Somehow it's better here to warn of the consequences of not keeping your phone in the front pocket:

Keep your phone in your front pocket. Otherwise, you're likely to crush it.

 

[Tarheel]

Keep your phone in your front pocket. In doing so, it won't get crushed.

Somehow I overlooked that one before. I wouldn't use that one. In fact, I wouldn't use any of them. Try:

If you keep your phone in your front pocket it won't get crushed.

 

[Tdol]

How about:

Keep your phone in your front pocket and it won't get crushed.

 

[teechar]

How about the following?

If you put your phone in your back pocket, it might get crushed.

Come to think of it, isn't that stating the bl**ding obvious?

 

[Tarheel]

It seems to me that a bigger problem of having the phone in your back pocket is a pain in the a**.

 

[jutfrank]

Plus, you run the risk of 'bum dialling'.

(How do you say that in AmE?)

 

[Tarheel]

Butt dialing.

(I've done that. ;-) )