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Listenever Posted 12 years ago
Grammar

Is this use of "that"-clause correct?

In the following video clip of the recent movie "Interstellar", a female teacher is talking with Cooper (Murph's father):

Teacher: Murph is a great kid. She's really bright, but she's been having a little trouble lately. She brought this in to show the other students, the section on the lunar landings.

Cooper: Yeah, it's one of my old textbooks. She always loved the pictures.

Teacher: It's an old federal textbook. We've replaced them with the corrected versions.

Cooper: Corrected?

Teacher: Explaining how the Apollo missions were faked to bankrupt the Soviet Union.

Cooper: You don't believe we went to the moon?

Teacher: I believe it was a brilliant piece of propaganda that the Soviets bankrupted themselves pouring resources into rockets and other useless machines.

==
Cooper's last line starts at 30 seconds of the video.

I believe that the underlined "it" refers to the claim that Americans went to the moon. And I think that the "that"-clause represents a result of the propaganda.

Is this usage of "that" natural?

  

Top answer

listenever the underlined "it" refers to the claim that Americans went to the moon Correct. listenever And I think that the "that"-clause represents a result of the propaganda. Correct.

— MalRey

  • listenever the underlined "it" refers to the claim that Americans went to the moon Correct.
  • listenever And I think that the "that"-clause represents a result of the propaganda.
  • Correct.
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17 Answers
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listeneverthe underlined "it" refers to the claim that Americans went to the moon
Correct.
listeneverAnd I think that the "that"-clause represents a result of the propaganda.
Correct.
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listeneverIs this usage of "that" natural?
As you have transcribed it, it is not, and not grammatically correct. There seems to be a preposition missing:

I believe it was a brilliant piece of propaganda that the Soviets bankrupted themselves over, pouring resources into rockets and other useless machines.
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Mister MicawberAs you have transcribed it, it is not, and not grammatically correct. There seems to be a preposition missing:I believe it was a brilliant piece of propaganda that the Soviets bankrupted themselves over, pouring resources into rockets and other useless machines.
So you see the "that"-clause as a relative clause, right?

But the problem i
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MalRey listeneverthe underlined "it" refers to the claim that Americans went to the moonCorrect.listeneverAnd I think that the "that"-clause represents a result of the propaganda.Correct.
Is there a reason you chose not to answer my last question? If that usage is possible English?

Or did you imply that it is?
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listeneverIs it not possible to treat the clause as a resultant clause such as "so that..." where the "so" is left out?
No, it is not.
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listeneverIs there a reason you chose not to answer my last question?
Yes, it is because I am busy. Some of us have real jobs and volunteer here when we have free time.
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listeneverTeacher: I believe it was a brilliant piece of propaganda that the Soviets bankrupted themselves pouring resources into rockets and other useless machines.
I think the structure is intended to be analogous to, for example, "It was a disappointment that she didn't come".
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GPYI think the structure is intended to be analogous to, for example, "It was a disappointment that she didn't come".
So do you find it natural?
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listeneverSo do you find it natural?
I find it rather a stretch and rather hard to read.
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GPYI find it rather a stretch and rather hard to read.
Have you heard the actual speech by the teacher?
She was acting of course, but that's exactly what she said in a supposedly "normal" conversation.
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