Can any native speaker tell me whether I should use it, this, or that in the following context?
John: Have you ever seen the movie "Titanic"?
Me: Yes, It/this/that is a great movie.
To me, 'That' sounds the best and there is no place to use this here at all. What do you think, native speakers?
And I am providing one more context to be clearer.
John: Hey subha, I've come to know that you went to a theater to watch "La La Land" last night. How is the movie?
Me: It/that is a great movie, probably the best movie I have ever seen.
Best Answer
We use both it and that to refer to things that have just been written or talked about.
Grammatically, both it and that are used the same way. However, there is a difference in the meaning or nuance. On one hand, it doesn’t have any particular or special nuance or emphasis. On the other hand, that is more emphatic and carries the nuance that the thing just mentioned is special or interesting.
It simply takes the place of the noun, pizza, with no additional nuance.
That also takes the place of the noun, pizza, but adds the nuance that the pizza mentioned was especially and uniquely delicious.
Answer Source It V/s That