(that) here confuse me ..what does it refer here?
I confess that for years I had absolutely no interest in mod-
ern art. It was just so many botched-up lines-until I let a friend
who knows and loves ,!,odern art explain it to me. Really, now
(that )I've dug into it, I fmd it fascinating.

Question

(that) here confuse me ..what does it refer here?
I confess that for years I had absolutely no interest in mod-
ern art. It was just so many botched-up lines-until I let a friend 
who knows and loves ,!,odern art explain it to me. Really, now 
(that )I've dug into it, I fmd it fascinating.

Answer

"Now that" is a short phrase that means "since"

Answer

One of the uses of 'that' is to introduce reported speech:

I said that I was happy.
I said I was happy.
I said "I'm happy'.

All three mean the same thing; 'that' can be omitted in informal speech; sometimes it makes the meaning clearer.

Answer

Here's the entry for it at dictionary.com:
13. [now that]: inasmuch as; since:
Now that she is rich and famous, she is constantly being besieged by appeals for aid.

Answer

I don't think it 'refers' to anything. There is no difference in meaning whether it's there or not. 
Perhaps it is just there to make the sentence flow better? I'll leave this open to see if a grammarian can explain it better.

Answer

Now + that - change of subject

Now that it is hot, I'll take a cold shower.

Now that I have time, I'll study German.

Now that it is winter, I'll purchase a heavier coat.

Answers · 6

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