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What do "that" and "it"in the following sentence refer to ?

Schoolwork is almost everything, so we study hard and that's it.

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I would say "... and that's it" is a shortened form of "...and that's all there is to it." The phrase is somewhat idiomatic.

That would refer to the notion that "schoolwork is almost everything." The sentence could be rephrased as, "Schoolwork is almost everything, so we study hard and there is nothing more to say about the matter." It's a way of expressing how we are resigned to the truth about something.

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  • @J.R.I thought "that"refers to "our current situation" ,it refers to "the situation just mentioned we are in "
    – user48070
    Aug 21, 2013 at 10:11
  • Generically speaking, yes. In the context of your sentence, "schoolwork is almost everything" is essentially "the current situation just mentioned." Obviously, in the sentence, "I told you we are going to the dentist, and that's it," the word "that" doesn't refer to "schoolwork is almost everything."
    – J.R. ♦
    Aug 21, 2013 at 12:33

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