it/that

[Anonymous]

In order to say:

"What is in front of the door is a car."

which of these two sentences can one use:
1-That's a car in front of the door.
2-It is a car in front of the door.

In this context 2 sounds wrong to me, but I have doubts.

 

[Casiopea]

In order to say:

"What is in front of the door is a car."

which of these two sentences can one use:
1-That's a car in front of the door.
2-It is a car in front of the door.

In this context 2 sounds wrong to me, but I have doubts.

A car is in front of the door. (Statement)
What is in front of the door is a car. (Cleft)

 

[MikeNewYork]

In order to say:

"What is in front of the door is a car."

which of these two sentences can one use:
1-That's a car in front of the door.
2-It is a car in front of the door.

In this context 2 sounds wrong to me, but I have doubts.

The first would be possible in answer to "What is that -- in front of the door? However, both people would have to be looking at it at the time. The question, then. would have to be one of surprise.

The second would be unusual.

 

[navi tasan]

Thanks.
Precisely, Mike. That would be the context. I would say surprise or being annoyed.

Why don't you drive him to the cinema.
Are you blind? That's a car in front of his house. (He owns it and can drive to the cinema himself)

As for "it", I wonder if it could be used in this context:

Why didn't you slap him in the face?
Are you crazy? It was a gun in his pocket.

Normally I would say "that was a gun" but I did a google word search and found that sentence. I think the people who had written it were NELs.