それで vs そうして in そうしてなおすんですか/それで勉強しているつもりですか


Here are two sentences from "A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar":

> それで勉強しているつもりですか。  
>  Are you sure you can study like that?

> そうしてなおすんですか。  
>  Oh, that's how you fix it?

It seems to me that in both of these sentences, それで and そうして are being used to
mean "like that". Are they interchangeable in this context? Or is there some
subtlety I'm missing?




No, they are not interchangeable.

それで is それ marked with the particle で. In your example, it refers to the
general situation in which the speaker sees the listener to be, or the manner
in which the latter is doing something at the time. The sentence implies the
listener is being idle or not studying hard enough by the speaker’s standards.

> それで勉強しているつもりですか。  
>  (lit.) Do you think you are studying with (the situation being) that?

そうして is そう followed by the て-form of the verb する. It is interchangeable with
そのようにして or そうやって, although the first alternative sounds much more formal and
the second a little more colloquial than そうして.

> そうして直すんですか。  
>  (lit.) Do you fix it by doing so?

If そうして is replaced with それで, the sentence would be understood as referring to
some concrete tool or means.

> それで直すんですか。  
>  (lit.) Do you fix it with that (thing)?




No, they are not interchangeable.

それで is それ marked with the particle で. In your example, it refers to the
general situation in which the speaker sees the listener to be, or the manner
in which the latter is doing something at the time. The sentence implies the
listener is being idle or not studying hard enough by the speaker’s standards.

> それで勉強しているつもりですか。  
>  (lit.) Do you think you are studying with (the situation being) that?

そうして is そう followed by the て-form of the verb する. It is interchangeable with
そのようにして or そうやって, although the first alternative sounds much more formal and
the second a little more colloquial than そうして.

> そうして直すんですか。  
>  (lit.) Do you fix it by doing so?

If そうして is replaced with それで, the sentence would be understood as referring to
some concrete tool or means.

> それで直すんですか。  
>  (lit.) Do you fix it with that (thing)?

