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thefreedictionary.com:

(1a) It's raining. This is why nobody is sunbathing now. — natural
(1b) It's raining. That is why nobody is sunbathing now. — natural

wordreference.com:

(2a) It's raining. This is why I won't go out. — very unnatural
(2b) It's raining. That is why I won't go out. — natural

Why is "this" unnatural in (2a), whereas it's natural in (1a)?
Why is "that" (as opposed to "this") natural both in (1b) and in (2b)?

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  • 1
    I'm not sure that I agree. I would use that for both (meaning 'that fact').
    – Kate Bunting
    Commented Oct 27 at 17:02
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    What leads you to assume 1a is idiomatic?
    – Paul Tanenbaum
    Commented Oct 27 at 17:45
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    It's less idiomatic in the exact cited context, because the speaker isn't out in the rain. But if the conversants were out walking through the rain, it would be perfectly natural for the speaker to say It's raining even harder now than when we left the house. This is why I said we should just call an Uber!
    – FumbleFingers
    Commented Oct 27 at 17:52
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    Some of the wordref stuff is overstated opinion (mostly by one poster repeatedly). But this is a solid summary from another poster: The rules for "this" and "that" are not set in stone. If there is only one thing that we are talking about, there is a certain freedom about which we choose, depending on the degree of immediacy which we wish to stress. If there are two things that we are talking about, then we tend to use "this" for the one closer to hand, and "that" for the other. However, "this" is commonly used to refer to the following statement, and "that" to the preceding statement.
    – FumbleFingers
    Commented Oct 27 at 18:49
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    I’m voting to close this question because it's based on the false assumption that "less common" means "unnatural".
    – FumbleFingers
    Commented Oct 27 at 18:52

2 Answers 2

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"That" in both cases (as Kate says in a comment). But I also disagree that "this" would be very unnatural. The pronound just marks a change in perspective: Is the fact that it is raining understood as figuratively close or distant from the speaker. Since the speaker has no control over the rain, it would normally be seen as "distant" but it is a subtle distinction.

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  • Your sentence { I also disagree that "this" would be very unnatural } is confusing me. Let's leave aside the word "very". Tell me please you consider "this" in "It's raining. This is why I won't go out" natural or unnatural?
    – Loviii
    Commented Oct 27 at 18:34
  • It could be natural. I think you'd most often hear "that", but sometimes "this". It would be hard to give a clear rule, but here is an example: A man is standing by the window. A woman asks him why he isn't going to go out. He points to the window and the rain outside the window. "It's raining. This is why I won't go out".
    – James K
    Commented Oct 27 at 18:45
  • Okay, if someone is pointing to something, "this" is a natural choice. But if there's no pointing, can "this" in "It's raining. This is why I won't go out" be natural? Thanks.
    – Loviii
    Commented Oct 27 at 19:25
  • It might be natural in some contexts. But in most contexts "that" is much more likely. It might depend on, for example if "that" has already been used to refer to something else in the conversation. Or if there is something else that makes the speaker feel "close". But normally just like Kate says, "That" is the word to use.
    – James K
    Commented Oct 27 at 21:05
  • But don't over think this. "This" and "That" both communicate, and that's the most important thing.
    – James K
    Commented Oct 27 at 21:06
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I. this/ that - distance in time.
We use this (singular) and these (plural) to talk about things close to us, and that (singular) and those (plural) to talk about things at some distance away from us.
Temporal "this and that" - Similarly with reference to time "this" means a present situation . "that" means a past (distant) event.
This is a good book. (I am reading it now).
That was a good book. (I read it at some time in the past)

II. Why both "this/ that" are natural in 1a and 1b..

(1a) It's raining. This is why nobody is sunbathing now. — natural.
(1b) It's raining. That is why nobody is sunbathing now. — natural

Both the sentences show "cause and effect".
In 1a, we are speaking about a present situation.
In 1b, we are considering an established condition and connecting it to the current situation.
As discussed earlier "this" is present and "that" is past. The same logic applies.
Another example where both this/that are valid.
"It's been raining all day. This/ That is why the streets are flooded.

III. Why only "that" is natural in 2a and 2b..

(2a) It's raining. This is why I won't go out. — very unnatural.
(2b) It's raining. That is why I won't go out. — natural.

In this situation a decision is involved, which was taken earlier.
This" is unnatural in (2a) because the decision was made based on a known condition (the rain).

Here are additional examples where only "that" can be used:

  1. I read the reviews. That's why I chose this restaurant. (Reviews influenced the choice.)
  2. My doctor advised me to rest. That's why I'm taking the day off. (Doctor's advice led to the decision.)
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  • i) Your explanation for (1a) is also appropriate for (2a). ii) I couldn't understand your explanation for (2a). iii) The additional examples you gave at the end are obvious because they don't have the Present Continuous in the first sentence so they are not appropriate for this thread. iv) If you think you have an explanation of why "this" is unnatural in (2a), whereas it's natural in (1a), could you please formulate it in more detail?
    – Loviii
    Commented Oct 28 at 12:53
  • @Loviii 1a is not a personal choice or decision. 2a and my examples are personal choice/ decision made earlier. that with reference to time means past. And this means present. In 1a we can use "this" also because people are not sunbathing at present also (not personal choice/ decision) In 2a, the decision not to go out was taken when the rain started.
    – James Mathai
    Commented Oct 28 at 14:11
  • In 2a the decision not to go out was taken when rain started. Similarly example 1 choice of restaurant. In example 2 decision to take day off was taken earlier. Personal choice and decisions only that (meaning past tense) is valid.
    – James Mathai
    Commented Oct 28 at 14:31
  • My another example for this/that: It's been raining all day. This/ that is why the streets are flooded.. (no personal decision)
    – James Mathai
    Commented Oct 28 at 14:36

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