This kind of VS That kind of?

Question

Q1. How do we use"this kind of" and "that kind of"?

Q2. We always use "Better get it done before noon."
If I am talking about a past incident which needed to get done in the past, should I say'Better got it done before noon"?

Assume now is evening, and I said the above sentence in the morning.

Can I write"I needed to finish the painting. Better got it done before noon."

Answer 1

1) this vs that... are just used to compare one to the other. You might talk about this one here, and that one there. This is always HERE, and that is always THERE (referring to proximity.)

(You would never say that one here and this one there unless you were moving things around, like rearranging a room and actually making the items change place.)

2) I don't use "Better get it done before noon." But if I had used it referring to the past.

It would have been better to have gotten it done before noon.

Here's a note on using past conditional:
http://www.edufind.com/english/grammar/IF6.cfm

Answer 2

1.These are expressions used in colloquial language. Here, 'kind' refers to 'type' or 'quantity'. I have heard people say 'this kind of' when there is an example that is at hand, while 'that kind of' perhaps refers to something that is not visible or nearby. Examples: 'This kind of writing is obsolete' (when someone reads a letter, etc.) and 'I don't have that kind of money' (when a large sum is being talked about)
2.When someone says 'better get it done before noon', he has in mind a future event, such as today or tomorrow or another day when the noon of that day has not yet been reached. If you add the word 'today' or 'tomorrow' or (say) 'of wednesday' at the end of this expression, the meaning would be clear. I think 'better got it done before noon' wouldn't be right, unless it is in a context like 'I wish i had better got it done before noon' or something similar to this.

I am not sure if this makes sense!

Answer 3

better have gotten it done before noon?