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Anonymous Posted 21 years ago
Grammar

Question on "that"

Hello Everyone,

I have a little trouble with the preposition "that". I was basically wondering if there is any existing golden rule or rule of thumb to aid me in its use.

Here's are two examples of a situation where it troubles me:

In a recent letter that I wrote...

or

In a recent letter I wrote...

Similarly

How can I summarize the passed six years that we've spent together?

or

How can I summarize the passed six years we've spent together?

In either example both versions sound correct to me, but I've been told that limiting the use of "that" is better.

Thanks,

jm.
  

Top answer

I'm not aware of any rule that says you must minimize the use of "that", although it is more idiomatic in conversation to drop it where possible. In writing it is often just a matter of stylistic choice whether to include it or not. CJ

— CalifJim

  • I'm not aware of any rule that says you must minimize the use of "that", although it is more idiomatic in conversation to drop it where possible.
  • In writing it is often just a matter of stylistic choice whether to include it or not.
  • CJ
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1 Answers
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I'm not aware of any rule that says you must minimize the use of "that", although it is more idiomatic in conversation to drop it where possible. In writing it is often just a matter of stylistic choice whether to include it or not.

CJ
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