[Answered] Request to delete this post

[Igiveup]

Please delete this and my account

 

[GoesStation]

Re: What's the difference between it and that?

Hello and welcome to the forum. Before we address your question, please correct your profile information.

 

[Igiveup]

Re: What's the difference between it and that?

Hello and welcome to the forum. Before we address your question, please correct your profile information.

Are you telling me that English has to be my 2nd language to use this website? :/ because this one of the websites that I've found that's about grammar.

 

[GoesStation]

Re: What's the difference between it and that?

Are you telling me that English has to be my 2nd language to use this website? :/ because this one of the websites that I've found that's about grammar.

Not at all. Your IP address does not appear to be in the location you've entered in your profile. Are you sure you're in the UK?

 

[jutfrank]

Re: What's the difference between it and that?

Your profile information says that you're a native speaker, which doesn't seem right because this is not a question that a native speaker would ask.

It's important for us to know whether a member is a native speaker because our answers depend very much on this information.

 

[Igiveup]

Re: What's the difference between it and that?

Well I was born in the UK but I moved to Germany a few years ago.

 

[Igiveup]

Re: What's the difference between it and that?

I actually don't know why I don't know when to use that and it correctly I sometimes do it without knowing.

 

[Alexey86]

Re: What's the difference between it and that?

Your profile information says that you're a native speaker, which doesn't seem right because this is not a question that a native speaker would ask.

How do you divide questions into native-like and non-native-like? I mean I know Russian native speakers who don't know, say, how to use correctly cases and other things that are obvious to me. But they are still native speakers.

 

[GoesStation]

Re: What's the difference between it and that?

How do you divide questions into native-like and non-native-like? I mean I know Russian native speakers who don't know, say, how to use correctly cases and other things that are obvious to me. But they are still native speakers.

Many aspects of usage are so intrinsic that native speakers master them in early childhood. Errors in these areas make it obvious that someone is not a native speaker. Misuse of articles is one such shibboleth; having trouble with it and that is another.

 

[Igiveup]

Re: What's the difference between it and that?

I'm only 16 and I was diagnosed with autism at 13 in Germany. I was born with a speech impediment and went to a specialized school which was a primary school when I was in the UK

 

[jutfrank]

Re: What's the difference between it and that?

So is your first language English or German? Which language does your mother speak to you in?

The question you're asking is very general and hard to answer without having some context. Could you offer an example situation where you're not sure which one to use? Maybe write a mini-dialogue for us.

 

[Igiveup]

Re: What's the difference between it and that?

So is your first language English or German? Which language does your mother speak to you in?

The question you're asking is very general and hard to answer without having some context. Could you offer an example situation where you're not sure which one to use? Maybe write a mini-dialogue for us.

My family speaks to me in English. I speak German at school. Lemme try to create a dialogue


A:Hey, have you fixed the computer yet?
B: No, I'll do it/that now.
A: Okay make so to get it/that done quickly.

A:Can you go to the Shop
B: I don't know where that/it is.
C. Its down the road (I know you usually use it at the start of a sentence)


A:Can you run to the end of the line
B: I can't do it/that

Sorry for the weird sentences

 

[emsr2d2]

Re: What's the difference between it and that?

My family speaks to me in English. I speak German at school. [STRIKE]Lemme[/STRIKE] Let me try to create a dialogue.


A: Hey, have you fixed the computer yet?
B: No, I'll do it/that now. They both work.
A: Okay. make [STRIKE]so[/STRIKE] sure [STRIKE]to get it/that done[/STRIKE] do it [STRIKE]quickly[/STRIKE] soon.

A: Can you go to the shop?
B: I don't know where [STRIKE]that/[/STRIKE] it is.
C. It's down the road. (I know [STRIKE]you[/STRIKE] we usually use "it" at the start of a sentence.)


A: Can you run to the end of the line?
B: I can't do it/that. They both work.

Sorry for the weird sentences.

Please see my corrections (in red) and comments (in blue) above.

Don't forget to end every sentence with one appropriate punctuation mark (just like you do in German). Please don't use non-standard (textspeak/chatlish) things like "Lemme" on the forum. The same goes for things like "wanna/gonna/ain't".

 

[jutfrank]

Re: What's the difference between it and that?

Sorry to keep asking you personal questions, Igiveup, but it's important your profile information is accurate.

Asking about the differences in use between it and that is not something a native English speaker would need to have explained, so I assume your native language is German. If so, please correct your profile info accordingly. Thanks.

 

[Igiveup]

Re: What's the difference between it and that?

Sorry to keep asking you personal questions, Igiveup, but it's important your profile information is accurate.

Asking about the differences in use between it and that is not something a native English speaker would need to have explained, so I assume your native language is German. If so, please correct your profile info accordingly. Thanks.

I don't know if this is considered proof but take a look at my school reports. Look at my English grade and look at my German Grade the grade system works like this 1-6 1 being the best grade and 6 being the worst Compare my German grade to my English Grade I don't know what GR and ER stand for but what I do know that they are like levels ER is advanced and ER is not as advanced I don't really know how it works because I moved to Berlin last year. I used to live in Hamburg where the grade system was different

 

[Tarheel]

Re: What's the difference between it and that?

My German teacher was from Hamburg. (Frau Holst.)

 

[jutfrank]

Re: What's the difference between it and that?

I've just read the whole thread again.

I actually don't know why I don't know when to use that and it correctly I sometimes do it without knowing.

Do you mean that you do know when to use them but that you don't know how you know. Is that what you mean?

How do you divide questions into native-like and non-native-like? I mean I know Russian native speakers who don't know, say, how to use correctly cases and other things that are obvious to me. But they are still native speakers.

Questions about reference words are not such cases, and are not related to grammar, but to meaning. To say that you don't know how to refer to something is like saying you don't know what you mean—it's just not possible.

And which one is correct
1.It was a long time ago
2. That was a long time ago

They're both correct. It's just the nature of the reference that's different. We use that when we want to clearly distinguish the thing we're referring to from other things.

Hello, I barely know the difference between that and it. I don't know how I get confused between these two words. I just want to use them correctly.

I'm terribly confused now. If you're a native speaker, you must already know how to use them correctly, so I'll just assume you're asking as a learner.

How do I respond to questions like "Can you throw this in the bin?" Do I say "Yes, I'll do it" or "Yes, I'll do that"?

You could say "Okay" or just "Yes".

Is it "I don't know where it is" or I don't know where that is"?

It depends on what kind of reference you want to make. Normally, when there's no special need to distinguish the thing we mean from other things, we use it.

Q: Could I borrow your phone for a second, please?
A: I don't know where it is.

Is it "I like it" or "I like that"?

Again, it depends on what kind of reference you want to make.

Q: What do you think of my hairstyle?
A: I like it.

The word it is a pronoun, which we use to replace noun phrases. In the dialogues above, it means 'my phone' and 'your hairstyle', respectively. It's a way to avoid repeating the word or phrase that we mean.

The word that is a special kind of pronoun (in these sentences) called a demonstrative. We use demonstratives to place a special emphasis on what we're referring to. This is usually to distinguish the thing from other things.

It helps to think of the word that as paired with the very similar word this, which I'm guessing you already know how to use. Imagine a conversation between a hairdresser and a customer. The hairdresser is showing the customer a series of photographs of different hairstyles:

Q: Do you like this?
A: No.
Q: Do you like this?
A: Not really, no.
Q: How about this?
A: Yes, I like that.

 

[Rover_KE]

Re: What's the difference between it and that?

We're not going to delete a thread in which people have gone to a lot of trouble to find out what your problems are and help you to deal with them.

Don't give up, Igiveup!