This and that

This and that

In Disney's animated film    "The Little Mermaid," Flounder finds himself describing to King Triton his and Ariel's encounter with Scuttle the seagull. He quotes Scuttle as saying, "And this is this and that is that."

 

His use of this and that is what brings us to today's lesson. What is really the difference between this and that? Between these and those? How can you know when it is correct to use this, for example?

 

To understand the differences a little better, examine this picture:

                                                         X

 

Now imagine you are standing in the room, where I've placed the X, and this is what you see as you face the room. You are standing right next to the small stack of books directly in the center and at the front of the photo.

Now imagine you want to call our attention to a few books. From where you are standing, you point. Which brings up the question: In what instance is it correct for you to say, "Look at this book"?

The answer is only books within your physical reach -- or that small stack in the center. For any book on the shelves or piled on other desks or the floor, you'd have to say, "Look at that book."

And the same idea applies in the plural, for these books (right in front of you) or those books (all the other books in the room).

The sense of immediacy (either in physical distance or time) is what governs when to use this/that or these/those.

So why do so many writers incorrectly sprinkle their stories with so many "this" and "these" references when such immediacy clearly is not applicable?

They'll write a story about bears being hunted and then refer to them later as "these" bears, as if they're right there for us to view (or at least for the writer to do so). Nitpicking? Much ado about nothing? Well, it's no more accurate than you standing in that library room and referring to some books on one of the far shelves as "these" books. It's just wrong. And my goal is always 100% accuracy, not "Oh, come on -- it's always done that way."

 

 

In many cases, this is wrong but that isn't really what the writer needs, either. Instead of saying "this game," for example, "the game" would be better. Or instead of "this marked the first time," the better choice would be to word it as "It marked the first time."

 

 

 

So it's not always an either/or with this/that and these/those.

 

There's a reason, a logical one, for having two words -- this and that -- as an option in explaining something. It's because what you are describing DOES matter as far as its relationship to you.

The Merriam-Webster online dictionary  does a fine job of explaining my point in defining this and that. Look at all the references, some of which I have highlighted in red, to distance and proximity (it's worth examining even though it's a bit long, and especially revealing is the list of antonyms to this):

¹this

pronoun \ˈthis, thəs\

plural these

Definition of THIS

1

a (1) : the person, thing, or idea that is present or near in place, time, or thought or that has just been mentioned <these are my hands> (2) : what is stated in the following phrase, clause, or discourse <I can only say this: it wasn't here yesterday>

b : this time or place <expected to return before this>

2

a : the one nearer or more immediately under observation or discussion <this is iron and that is tin>

b : the one more recently referred to 

 

Examples of THIS

1. This is my favorite T-shirt.
2. Anything would be better than this.
3. “What's this right here?” “It's a very rare gold coin.”
4. Would you take a look at this, please?
5. All of this is mine.
6. This is the most fun I've had in years!
7. “It will be difficult.” “This is true.”
8. What is the meaning of this?
9. This is silver and that is gold.
10. This is my jacket and that's yours.

 

²this

adjective

plural these

Definition of THIS

1

a : being the person, thing, or idea that is present or near in place, time, or thought or that has just been mentioned <this book is mine> <early this morning>

b : constituting the immediately following part of the present discourse

c : constituting the immediate past or future <friends all these years>

d : being one not previously mentioned —used especially in narrative to give a sense of immediacy or vividness <then this guy runs in> <had this urge to go shopping>

2

: being the nearer at hand or more immediately under observation or discussion <this car or that one>

See this defined for English-language learners »

Antonyms

far, farther, further, opposite, other, that

 

³this

adverb \ˈthis\

Definition of THIS

: to the degree or extent indicated by something in the immediate context or situation <didn't expect to wait this long>

¹that

pronoun \ˈthat, thət\

plural those

Definition of THAT

1

a : the person, thing, or idea indicated, mentioned, or understood from the situation <that is my father>

b : the time, action, or event specified <after that I went to bed>

c : the kind or thing specified as follows <the purest water is that produced by distillation>

d : one or a group of the indicated kind <that's a cat — quick and agile>

2

a : the one farther away or less immediately under observation or discussion <those are maples and these are elms>

 

George Harrison, in writing his tribute song to John Lennon after Lennon was murdered, wisely titled his song   "All Those Years Ago." Why not these? Because of the immediacy (or lack of it). He sang about years past, not the immediate past that just occurred (such as yesterday or last month). So he reminisced about the good times with his fellow Beatle "all those years ago." 

 

 

Some other examples in which this is commonly misused:

 

1) Part of a recent game story written after the Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the Milwaukee Brewers:

Martin's dribbled single up the middle off Francisco Rodriguez scored Gaby Sanchez, who had led off with a single.

This was the Bucs' third win in games from which its starter was forced out, by injury or by weather, before the completion of the third inning.

It would have been better written this way: It was (or marked) the Bucs' third win ...

2) From a recent story in a newspaper about a crime:

Initial police reports that two suspects were arrested during this incident were inaccurate.

Neither the writer nor the readers were there when the incident occurred, so this is far too immediate and close to be correct. Better: " ... during the incident were inaccurate."
 

For that matter, when writing a story, unless we are right there with the reporter, it's not accurate to go on and on about "this" or "these" anything. He or she shouldn't say "these bills" are headed to the governor's desk for signature or veto. He or she should say instead simply "the bills" if it's clear we are referring to bills mentioned previously.

3) Same with "these streets." We as readers are not there, so it's usually wrong. A reporter described two cars  colliding at Smith and Elm streets, then added, "These streets are littered with debris and broken glass and parts." It should just be "The streets".

I already can hear people complaining that this is persnickety and too rigid, but I must strenuously disagree. Those who complain do not seem to grasp my point about Parrot's Disease and the urgent need not to copy what we commonly see and just blindly assume it's right:

 

 

 

PARROT'S DISEASE:   Be skeptical and look things up to be sure! Do not trust myths and rumors or repeat things you have seen or heard, no matter how common. This is how such atrocious writing as the examples cited becomes so common. Be uncommon and be sure something you write is correct. Don't just parrot what you read and hear!

 

 

 

There are, for example, hundreds of examples of everyday speech in English that mangle the language. Just because people do it all the time doesn't make those mistakes any more acceptable or correct, and we ESPECIALLY should not carry our many mistakes into our writing. One would hope anyone reading this cares deeply about good writing and editing and agrees.

 

For example, I hope you'd never consider using these in your writing:

Me and jimmy went to the store.

It's him

He is better than me

Us workers have a right to strike

Who you gonna call?

For you and I

 

So why does misusing this/that and these/those count as any less incorrect? My goal is make anything I am writing or editing as flawless as possible -- free of errors of any sort.

Just one glance at any periodical    at a newsstand or bookstore reveals that far too few professionals share that goal. Just to cite one example, I have seen "judgement" (correct is judgment) probably 100 times in comic books released by Marvel Comics or Archie Comics. Does no one at those companies care about spelling such a common word? Why do the editors not spot such preventable goofs?

 

 

Such basic atrocities seriously lessen your credibility as a communicator (which is what any writer or artist is trying to be in the media, be it comic books, magazines, newspapers, a website, a blog, a TV news script, a radio broadcast, etc.). It DOES matter. The dumber you come across, the less likely you are to be taken seriously and to disseminate your message or product as effectively as you would like.

 

Who's going to listen to a TV news anchor, for example,  who can't speak even basic English correctly on the air, or who riddles his commentary with colloqualisms and puns and other uneducated figures of speech? Right or wrong, it makes him or her sound far less intelligent, and viewers are instantly turned off.  

 

 

It's the same with poor writing, no matter where it is read. Make it your goal to be better.

 
It's time to wrap it up. 
 

 

 

My "next" post will "discuss" overcoming the annoying "and" incorrect "practice" of throwing "in" quote "marks" at will around practically "every" "word." Stay tuned ...