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Seoul Brother Posted 11 years ago
Grammar

Question about 'that'

It was to the west that he headed.

How is 'that' used in the above sentence?

I think it seems to be the relative clause. Is that right?

In addition, I am wondering if I can use 'where' instead of 'that'.

thanks in advance.
  

Top answer

This is a case where the best answer is none of the above. This sounds like an attempt to be arty. Say instead: He headed to the West.

— Doctor D

  • This is a case where the best answer is none of the above.
  • This sounds like an attempt to be arty.
  • Say instead: He headed to the West.
  • (if you mean a region) Or: He headed west.
  • (if you mean a direction)
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2 Answers
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This is a case where the best answer is none of the above. This sounds like an attempt to be arty. Say instead:
He headed to the West. (if you mean a region)
Or: He headed west. (if you mean a direction)
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Seoul BrotherIt was to the west that he headed.
It is a so-called "cleft" stucture, so not a standard relative clause where a noun is modified (like "the coat that I was wearing", for instance). However, some sources do still seem to use the term "relative clause" or hedge a little by calling it a "kind of relative clause".
Seoul Broth
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