Developing cohesion
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Using this to point backwards | page 2 of 6 |
Using this to refer to previous stretches of text
When a writer wishes to refer back to a thing in the previous sentence, the pronoun it is generally the most appropriate word to use:
" 'Toy Story' will revolutionise film-making as we know it," says Academy Award-winning director John Lasseter, whose production company, Pixar, teamed up with Disney Feature Animation to make the film. It features the voices of Tom Hanks and Tim Allen, but the real stars of this 3-D movie are the eclectic assortment of toys that take on a life of their own.
(Bank of English)
An author often wishes to refer to a longer stretch of the preceding text (eg a whole sentence). In such cases, this (rather than it) is needed:
Just send a cheque to your building society, making clear that it is a capital repayment. You might think this is a piece of obvious advice, but a surprising number of borrowers apparently believe that lenders have mind-reading powers. (Bank of English)
In the following passage, this in the last sentence of the second paragraph refers to the messages contained in the preceding five sentences in the same paragraph:
The 8,000 children living in residential special schools for pupils with emotional and behavioural difficulties (EBD) are inadequately protected against possible malpractice and abuse, the National Children's Bureau said last week.
There is inadequate protection for children if things should go wrong. Local education authorities (LEAs) exert little influence on what happens in schools. LEAs' follow-up of children after placement is often poor and review systems should be improved. Children are placed long distances from home and tend not to leave EBD schools after joining. Head teachers are very autonomous and there is much concern and confusion about the use of physical restraint. Taken together, this means that there are strong doubts about children' s safety. (Bank of English)
Introduction
Using this to refer to previous stretches of text
