Recently, I've been thinking a lot about the everyday usage of "it" and "that". For instance, "Mate, it sucks."
"Mate, that sucks."
"Yes, I saw it."
"Yes, I saw that."
In terms of meaning, is there any difference? Is there any given rule that has to be applied? Thank you for your replies!
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differences
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Best Answer
I'd say that "it" can act like a generalisation of "that".
For example:
In other words, while "that" is the thing being discussed, "it" could be something else, most likely a wider situation of which "that" is an example.
This isn't a rule, it's more like a possible usage. Sometimes "it" and "that" can refer to the same thing, which seems more likely to be the case with your second example, "I saw it" vs "I saw that".