英语语法：107 When to Leave Out "That"

Grammar Girl here.

Today's topic is the word “that.” When do you need it, and when can you leave it out?

Also, I'll have an announcement at the end of this show about extra book giveaways and my book tour.

Now, guest-writer Bonnie Trenga writes,

Today we’re going to talk about when it’s OK to omit the word “that” in a sentence. The sentences “The turkey sandwich I ate yesterday had too much mayonnaise” and “The turkey sandwich THAT I ate yesterday had too much mayonnaise” mean the same thing. In that sentence, it’s perfectly¹ fine to leave out the “that.” In a similar vein², the sentences “I said I would eat a sandwich” and “I said THAT I would eat a sandwich” are equal. So are you allowed to leave out the “that” in such cases? Well, it depends.

"That" Can Help Sentence Flow

When you’re deciding whether to keep or omit your “that,” you need to consider how your sentence flows. Many times, it’s just a matter of personal preference. Some people think adding “that” improves the flow of the sentence and makes it easier for the reader to understand. Others believe they should delete every seemingly³ unnecessary “that” because they want to maintain an economy of words (1). I’m all for cutting unnecessary words, but I often like to keep my “that” if it helps the rhythm of the sentence. You’ll have to judge whether using “that” in your particular sentence improves or hurts its flow. Sometimes it helps to read your paragraph aloud to see if you’ve got the right rhythm. The AP Stylebook, which is typically used by journalists, suggests you use a “that” when in doubt (2). It advises, “Omission can hurt. Inclusion never does.”

Sometimes "That" Is Necessary

Now, there are several cases when a “that” might be necessary. If your sentence already has another “that” or two, you might not want to complicate⁴ it more by adding yet another “that” (3). One of the sentences above falls into this category. I said, “Some people think adding ‘that’ improves the flow of the sentence.” I could have also said, “Some people think THAT adding ‘that’ improves the flow of the sentence,” but I thought two cases of “that” would be a bit much.

Another time you should consider using a “that” is when your sentence could be ambiguous⁵ or misunderstood. Steven Pinker, a linguist⁶, warns about what he calls “garden path sentences” (4). These are sentences that seem to mean one thing but then turn out to mean something else. Sometimes, keeping a “that” can help you avoid such problematic sentences. Pinker explains, “These are called garden path sentences, because their first words lead the listener ‘up the garden path’ to an incorrect analysis.”

Here an example of a sentence that leads the reader down the wrong path when you omit the word “that”:

Aardvark maintains Squiggly's yard is too big.

Without a “that,” the reader is initially⁷ led to believe that Aardvark maintains, as in mows⁸, Squiggly's yard. If you add in a “that,” it's clear from the beginning that Aardvark just has an opinion.

Aardvark maintains that Squiggly's yard is too big (5).

Pinker goes on to say that garden path sentences are “one of the hallmarks of bad writing” because readers have to wend their way back to the beginning of the sentence to figure out its meaning.

It is sometimes tricky⁹ to know if your sentence is ambiguous because you, the writer, know what you mean. I always find it useful to put aside my work for a while and then read it again with fresh eyes. You could also consider having a friend or colleague read over your work.

Keep Parallel Construction

Two more points about “that” (6). First, be careful to maintain parallel construction. For example, this sentence is incorrect: “Natalie realized she had left her keys in the car and that she didn’t feed her fish.” In this sentence, Natalie is realizing two things, but the sentence uses only one “that.” This sentence would be better if you used “that” twice: “Natalie realized THAT she had left her keys in the car and THAT she didn’t feed her fish.”

Avoid the Double "That"

You also need to ensure you don’t accidentally put in a double “that.” This sentence is not right: “Natalie knows that if she doesn’t remember to feed her fish that the poor little guy will die.” It needs just one “that,” the first one: “Natalie knows THAT if she doesn’t remember to feed her fish, the poor little guy will die.” A comma after “fish” will help readers understand the sentence.

So, it's up to you to decide when you need a “that” to improve the flow of your sentence. Remember that some people prefer writing that omits unnecessary “thats,” but it's also more dangerous to leave them out because doing so can lead to misunderstandings.

The Age of Engage

Now for books, books, and more books! I have three copies of The Age of Engage by Denise Shiffman which will go to Norma, Jignesh, and Steven. They're subscribed¹⁰ to the free e-mail newsletter, so they were automatically¹¹ entered in the book giveaway. Eric Schmidt, the CEO of Google said every marketer should read The Age of Engage, and I like it because the author says Grammar Girl is one of her favorite podcasts.

Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing Give Away

Next things are really ramping¹² up for my book tour! The book comes out July 8, and I'm going to be giving away five copies per show until then. You're automatically entered if you're subscribed to the e-mail newsletter.

Get a Free Chapter

And I'm also giving away a free chapter and quick tip guide by e-mail to everyone who is subscribed to the newsletter. If you're subscribed, you'll just get it in your e-mail when it's ready. And if for some reason you don't want the wonderful newsletter with its free grammar tips, you can also use a different button at the website to just sign up for the free book chapter and quick tip guide.

Book Tour Cities

Information about the book tour cities is also starting to show up on the website. I'm adding city information as the plans become firm.

 

1 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

2 vein   

n.血管，静脉；叶脉，纹理；情绪；vt.使成脉络

参考例句：

• The girl is not in the vein for singing today.那女孩今天没有心情唱歌。
• The doctor injects glucose into the patient's vein.医生把葡萄糖注射入病人的静脉。

3 seemingly   

adv.从表面上看起来，似乎是

参考例句：

• Seemingly,we can do nothing to prevent this from happening.我们似乎没有什么办法阻止这件事发生。
• For several seemingly interminable seconds no one spoke.有几秒钟没有人讲话，这几秒钟似乎十分漫长。

4 complicate   

vt.使复杂化，使混乱，使难懂

参考例句：

• There is no need to complicate matters.没有必要使问题复杂化。
• These events will greatly complicate the situation.这些事件将使局势变得极其复杂。

5 ambiguous   

adj.引起歧义的，模棱两可的，含糊不清的

参考例句：

• This sentence is ambiguous in sense.这个句子意思不清楚。
• The title of this chapter is ambiguous.这一章的标题含义模糊。

6 linguist   

n.语言学家；精通数种外国语言者

参考例句：

• I used to be a linguist till I become a writer.过去我是个语言学家，后来成了作家。
• Professor Cui has a high reputation as a linguist.崔教授作为语言学家名声很高。

7 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

8 mows   

v.刈，割( mow的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• I saw him make mops and mows at Mary. 我看见他冲着玛丽做鬼脸。 来自互联网
• My mother mows the grass on the street once a week. （我妈妈每星期都在街上修一次草坪。） 来自互联网

9 tricky   

adj.狡猾的，奸诈的；(工作等)棘手的，微妙的

参考例句：

• I'm in a rather tricky position.Can you help me out?我的处境很棘手，你能帮我吗？
• He avoided this tricky question and talked in generalities.他回避了这个非常微妙的问题，只做了个笼统的表述。

10 subscribed   

v.捐助( subscribe的过去式和过去分词 )；签署，题词；订阅；同意

参考例句：

• It is not a theory that is commonly subscribed to. 一般人并不赞成这个理论。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I subscribed my name to the document. 我在文件上签了字。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 automatically   

adv.不加思索地，无意识地，自动地

参考例句：

• The machine cycles automatically.这台机器自动循环运转。
• She had automatically labelled the boys as troublemakers.她不假思索地认定这些男孩子是捣蛋鬼。

12 ramping   

土堤斜坡( ramp的现在分词 )； 斜道； 斜路； （装车或上下飞机的）活动梯

参考例句：

• The children love ramping about in the garden. 孩子们喜欢在花园里追逐嬉戏，闹着玩。
• Have you ever seen a lion ramping around? 你看到过狮子暴跳吗？