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Which pronount will be more appropriate to use in the following context?

If you neglect technique during the squate, it may cost several days weeks off because of a high possibility of injury. It/that happens pretty often.

I have asked similar question and there is a good answer to that, but I am still confused which pronoun to use in the context. With wich pronoun does the sentence sound more natural and why?

Dmytro O'Hope
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  • Squate isn't a word, and it may cost several days weeks off (as well as the sentence as a whole) is ungrammatical. (I'd guess what you're trying to say is something like: "If you neglect technique while squatting, there is the possibility of injury that could debilitate you for days or even weeks." That aside, either it or that (or, in this case, I would say you should use this instead) would be fine. One is a simple pronoun, the other is a demonstrative pronoun. Which you use is just a matter of choice. – Jason Bassford Dec 12 '18 at 12:24
  • Tell me please why you used the definite article before the word "possibility" in your example. Would not it be better to "a possibility of injury"? – Dmytro O'Hope Dec 12 '18 at 14:16
  • You could use a instead, if you wished. The sounds better to me because it stresses a single, specific thing—the possibility of injury—rather than one of many things. – Jason Bassford Dec 12 '18 at 16:02

1 Answers1

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Consider:

If you don't use the proper technique there is a high probability of injury and it happens very often.

If you don't use the proper technique there is a high probability of injury and that happens very often.

Neither sentence is very good because probability doesn't "happen". Injury happens.

It would be better to say:

If you don't use the proper technique you can easily injure yourself.

Now we can choose between it and that :

If you don't use the proper technique you can easily injure yourself—and it does happen fairly often.

If you don't use the proper technique you can injure easily yourself—and that does happen fairly often.

Since you're pointing back at what you have just said, use that. That points at the thing. It is simply a substitute for the thing. Furthermore, that in such a context always points back at what has just been said. It, on the other hand, can also anticipate or look forward to its reference. If you use it, the listener might think you're about to say something like this:

If you don't use the proper technique you can easily injure yourself—and it does happen fairly often that lifters injure themselves doing this lift.

For these reasons, that edges out it here on the basis of clarity.

TimR
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  • Does the use of the phrase "cost someone a few weeks" sound strange to your ear? For example: "If you neglect the preoper technique, you will injure yourself and it will cost you a few days off." – Dmytro O'Hope Dec 12 '18 at 14:20
  • @DmytroO'Hope While the complement of cost you can be almost anything to which value is attached (your reputation, a lot of money, your pride, a lot of time, a limb, etc.) the addition of off to the phrase a few days makes a few days off a marginal complement at best. Please ask this as a separate question. It is interesting in its own right. – TimR Dec 12 '18 at 16:05
  • If we understand it as saying "It will cost you a few days (of) downtime [during which you will be unable to make any progress with your lifting]" it isn't too bad. But that's bending off into a new shape. – TimR Dec 12 '18 at 17:23