Question

Hello. I will really appreciate some help from a native speaker of English.
Which is correct, "this" or "that",(maybe, both?)in the following context:
1)He signed this/that (?) contract last week.
2)This/that(?)letter was prepared yesterday.
Do "past" words, such as "yesterday", "last ...", mean that "that" rather than "this" is to be used?
Thank you very much for your help.

Answer 1

Yes.

"This" means something close at hand or something you were just talking about. "That" means something farther away or in the past.

This contract is either one you're looking at or that you've been discussing. That contract is one that isn't present or that you had discussed in the past.