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Cho7712 Posted 12 years ago
Grammar

that

A. He said (that) something was wrong.
B. He grunted that the room was too cold.

In A, 'that' is optional. Quite contrast, 'that' is obligatory in B. The grammar book challenges the readers to figure out why this is so. And I can't think of any clue to work out this problem. How can this difference be explained?
  

Top answer

I think sentence B is too subjective that's why that is obligatory. But I say rely on your ears.

— Cozy

  • I think sentence B is too subjective that's why that is obligatory.
  • But I say rely on your ears.
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13 Answers
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I think sentence B is too subjective that's why that is obligatory. But I say rely on your ears. Emotion: music
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How I wish I would have that kind of ability! Thanks for your answer.
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cho7712How I wish I would have that kind of ability!
You will if you listen a lot of English. Emotion: smile
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A. He said (that) something was wrong.
In this sentence, the verb "say" requires a direct object. That object is either a direct or indirect speech. When an object is required, the relative pronoun is optional.

B. He grunted that the room was too cold.
In this sentence, the verb "grunt" usually does not have a direc
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Hi AS. I did a little research on rules for omitting "that", and I came up with bridge and non-bridge verbs. Are you aware of such a rule?
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NugsoHi AS. I did a little research on rules for omitting "that", and I came up with bridge and non-bridge verbs. Are you aware of such a rule?
"Bridge verb" is a name that linguists have given to the class of verbs which are followed by a sentence and the introductory pronoun "that" is usually omitted. It is not a rule, but just a label. Labels allow a cert
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I see! Thanks for the explanation and the link.
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AlpheccaStarsA. He said (that) something was wrong.In this sentence, the verb "say" requires a direct object. That object is either a direct or indirect speech. When an object is required, the relative pronoun is optional.
I don't really think that 'that' is a relative pronoun in that sentence.
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fivejedjon AlpheccaStarsA. He said (that) something was wrong.In this sentence, the verb "say" requires a direct object. That object is either a direct or indirect speech. When an object is required, the relative pronoun is optional.I don't really think that 'that' is a relative pronoun in that sentence.
Also, is "(that) something was wrong" a direct object? I
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fivejedjon AlpheccaStarsA. He said (that) something was wrong.In this sentence, the verb "say" requires a direct object. That object is either a direct or indirect speech. When an object is required, the relative pronoun is optional.I don't really think that 'that' is a relative pronoun in that sentence.
I agree. I think that "that" in the He said (that) so
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