Language is weird. You’d think a word like this would be the easiest thing in the world to handle. It’s one of the first words we learn as kids, right? You point at a cookie and say, "I want this." But when you’re staring at a blank cursor, trying to make a professional email sound punchy or a blog post flow, this suddenly becomes a massive headache. It’s vague. It’s slippery. It’s what linguists call a "demonstrative pronoun," which is just a fancy way of saying it points at stuff.
The problem is that if you don't know exactly what you're pointing at, your reader is going to get lost. Fast.
Honestly, most of us use it as a crutch. We finish a long, rambling paragraph and start the next sentence with, "This shows that..." This what? The last sentence? The whole paragraph? That one specific statistic about cat ownership in Belgium? Without a noun attached to it, this is a ghost. It’s a placeholder for a thought you haven't quite finished yet. If you want to improve your writing immediately—like, right now—start looking at how you’re using this in a sentence and see if it actually has a job to do.
The Mechanics of Using This in a Sentence Correctly
Context is everything. In linguistics, we talk about "deixis." That’s the phenomenon where the meaning of a word depends entirely on the context of the speaker. If I’m standing in a park and say, "Look at this," you know I’m talking about the dog or the tree in front of us. If I write it in a book, I have to work harder.
There are basically two ways to play this.
First, you have the demonstrative pronoun. That’s when the word stands alone. "I didn't expect this." It works because the "this" usually refers to a clear, singular event mentioned right before. But here’s the kicker: it’s often weaker. If you want to be a better writer, you should try the second way, which is using it as a demonstrative adjective. Instead of saying "this," say "this problem" or "this specific data point." It anchors the thought. It gives the reader a handle to grab onto.
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Think about the difference here:
- "The CEO resigned yesterday. This was a shock."
- "The CEO resigned yesterday. This sudden departure caught the board off guard."
See the difference? The second one is muscular. It has direction. It’s not just floating in the ether.
Why Your High School Teacher Hated It
You probably remember some English teacher circling every "this" on your essay in red ink. They weren't just being mean. Vague pronoun reference is the silent killer of clarity. When you use a sentence starter like "This means," you're asking the reader to do the heavy lifting of remembering your previous point. People are lazy. They won't do it.
Instead of forcing them to look backward, use this to push them forward.
If you're writing for the web, you've got about three seconds to keep someone’s attention. If they hit a sentence where they have to pause and wonder what "this" refers to, they're gone. They’ve clicked away to a TikTok of a guy making a sandwich. You’ve lost them.
Real-World Examples of Using This in a Sentence
Let’s look at some actual ways you’d drop this into conversation or professional writing without sounding like a robot.
- The Lead-In: "You need to see this report before the meeting starts." Here, it's a modifier. It’s specific.
- The Clarifier: "The team missed the deadline. This failure resulted in a lost contract." Notice how we added "failure" to clarify what "this" was.
- The Informal Hook: "So, get this: he actually showed up in a tuxedo."
- The Comparison: "I prefer the blue one, but this is cheaper."
It’s about rhythm. A short sentence like "Try this." can be incredibly powerful after a long explanation. It’s a reset. It’s a breath.
When You Should Avoid It Entirely
Sometimes, the best way of using this in a sentence is not using it at all. We over-rely on it because it's an easy transition. "In addition to this..." or "Because of this..." are filler. They’re the "um" and "uh" of the written word.
Try deleting the phrase and see if the sentence still stands.
"Because of this, we decided to pivot."
vs.
"We decided to pivot because the market shifted."
The second one is better. It's active. It has a "why."
The Google Discover Factor
If you're trying to get your content to surface on Google Discover, you need to write like a person, not a manual. Discover thrives on "entity-based" writing. It wants to know what you're talking about. If your article is full of vague "this" and "that" references, Google’s algorithms struggle to map out the topic. By being specific—by saying "this marketing strategy" instead of just "this"—you’re feeding the algorithm the exact keywords it needs to categorize your content.
It’s a win-win. Your human readers understand you better, and the robots know where to put you.
Common Mistakes and How to Pivot
A huge mistake people make is using this to refer to an entire preceding paragraph. I call it the "Giant Umbrella This." You write 150 words about the history of the Roman Empire and then start the next section with "This is why they fell."
It’s too much weight for one tiny four-letter word to carry.
Instead, summarize the core of that paragraph. "This military overextension, combined with economic inflation, led to the collapse." Now the reader knows exactly which parts of the previous 150 words they should care about. You've filtered the information for them.
The Nuance of Emphasis
Sometimes, this is used for emotional proximity. In linguistics, we call it "proximal." It’s something close to us, either physically or psychologically. "That" is distal; it’s far away.
"I love this car!" (I'm probably sitting in it).
"I love that car!" (It’s across the street or in a dream).
When you're writing, use this to bring the reader closer to your idea. Make it feel like it’s right there in their hands.
Actionable Steps for Better Writing
Stop reading for a second and look at the last thing you wrote. A text, an email, a LinkedIn post—doesn't matter. Find every instance of the word this.
Now, apply these three rules:
The Noun Test
Can you add a noun immediately after "this"? If you wrote "This is great," can you change it to "This layout is great"? If yes, do it. It makes you sound more authoritative and less like you’re just guessing.
The "So What?" Check
If you start a sentence with "This shows," ask yourself if the reader already knows what "this" is. If there’s even a 1% chance they’re confused, fix it. Be specific. "This data shows" or "This conversation shows."
The Rhythm Check
Are you using "this" to start every sentence? If so, your writing is going to feel repetitive and "choppy." Break it up. Use a variety of sentence structures. Start with a prepositional phrase. Start with a verb. Just don't start with "this" five times in a row.
Writing isn't about following a set of rigid, boring rules. It's about clarity and connection. When you master the art of using this in a sentence, you're really mastering the art of pointing. You're telling the reader, "Look here. This part matters." It's a small word, but it's a huge tool for anyone who wants to be understood.
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Start by auditing your most recent draft. Look for those "Giant Umbrella" words. Break them down. Add nouns. Be specific. You’ll notice the clarity of your writing improves almost instantly because you're no longer leaving your meaning up to chance.