that

Question

I watched the program on several different afternoons, drawn to do so by the way the master of ceremonies succeded in getting people in the audience to talk at length, and in a way that caught and held my attention. These people were obviously not professional speakers. They had never been trained in the art of communication. Some of them used poor grammar and mispronounced words. But all of them were interesting. Once they had started to talk, they seemed to lose all fear of being on camera, and they held the attention of the audience.

About 'that' in red, is it the relative pronoun that modifies 'a way'? Or is it a pronoun that refers to the fact described in front that the people in the audience talked at length?

Doll · Accepted Answer

I would say it modifies "in a way".

Taka · Answer

DollI would say it modifies "in a way".

For your information, it has these sentences in front:

I seldom watch television in the daytime. Recently, however, a friend of mine suggested that I try an afternoon show that was directed primarily at housewives....my friend wanted me to look at it because he thought the audience particiption part of the show would interest me. It certainly did.

Don't you think 'in a way that caught and held my attention' corresponds to the part in red?
(i.e. that=the audience participation (would)interrest me=caught and held my attention)

Doll · Answer

seldom watch television in the daytime. Recently, however, a friend of mine suggested that I try an afternoon show that was directed primarily at housewives....my friend wanted me to look at it because he thought the audience particiption part of the show would interest me. It certainly did. I watched the program on several different afternoons, drawn to do so by the way the master of ceremonies succeded in getting people in the audience to talk at length, and in a way that caught and held my attention. These people were obviously not professional speakers. They had never been trained in the art of communication. Some of them used poor grammar and mispronounced words. But all of them were interesting. Once they had started to talk, they seemed to lose all fear of being on camera, and they held the attention of the audience.

First tell me whether this is the paragraph order or not.

If it is, how can this poor "that" modify a sentence or sentences written for something else. If it was "...the audience participation part of the show would interest me, which really did" , I would say yes, "which" modifies the sentence. But a different sentence mentioning someting else is written between them and it gives no chance to "that" to modify the sentence in red. I read the paragraph again and again and I say for the last time that your that in red modifies the master of ceremonies succeded in getting people in the audience to talk at length and in a way ... Yes, I changed my words because I thought "and"can't be so innocent.

Of course you have the right to wait for a native speaker. I might be mistaken too.

Kooyeen · Answer

Hi,
I would say "that" refers to "a way", and "in a way" refers to "talk".

Taka · Answer

KooyeenHi,
I would say "that" refers to "a way", and "in a way" refers to "talk".

AH! That makes more sense! I thought 'in a way' referred to 'drawn'.

Thank you, Kooteen and Doll!

that

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