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Fire1 Posted 6 years ago
Grammar

Omission of "it that/where/who/when" emphasis and the usage of which for emphasis sentences

?1. It was because he was ill (that) we decided to return.

2. It's that watch (that) I said I would let you have.

3.? It was Jane (who) I first met in the park yesterday.

4. It was in the park (where) I first met Jane.

5. It was yesterday (when) I first met Jane.

Q1) In informal settings, can "that, who, where, when" be left out in the above sentences?

6. There was no doubt that it was my car which had struck Paddy.

Q2) As far as I know, "which" cannot be used in this kind of emphasis sentence, but as you see sentence 6, can "which" be used instead of "that"? I think it can because I was able to find such sentences as 6 in English books seemingly written by native speakers.

More examples

- It was my car which you used as a playground.

- it was my car which hit you

Q3) If Q2 is correct, in informal settings, is it also possible to leave out "which" from sentence 6?

I'm not dealing with whether they're grammatical or not, but just asking whether they're all possible in informal settings.

  

Top answer

fire1 Q1) In informal settings, can "that, who, where, when" be left out in the above sentences? Yes, but, generally speaking, it may not only be in informal settings that such words are omitted. fire1 6.

— GPY

  • fire1 Q1) In informal settings, can "that, who, where, when" be left out in the above sentences?
  • Yes, but, generally speaking, it may not only be in informal settings that such words are omitted.
  • fire1 6.
  • There was no doubt that it was my car which had struck Paddy.
  • Q2) As far as I know, "which" cannot be used in this kind of emphasis sentence, but as you see sentence 6, can "which" be used instead of "that"?
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1 Answers
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fire1Q1) In informal settings, can "that, who, where, when" be left out in the above sentences?

Yes, but, generally speaking, it may not only be in informal settings that such words are omitted.

fire16. There was no doubt that it was my car which had struck Paddy.
Q2) As far as I know, "which" cannot be used in this kind of e
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