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Aziz211 Posted 14 years ago
Grammar

When shoud I use "that" ?

I mean..like if I want to say for example:

"I know *that he has a red car"
or
"I'm going to visit my girlfriend at the hospital tonight, and I know *that she has a serious disease"
or
"I'll do it. Even if I know *that it's not gonna be easy"

When should I put *that in the middle of any sentence if I'm going to explain something to someone ? is there's any specific rule ?

Emotion: smile
  

Top answer

There is no universal rule. I have a sort of rule of thumb I use myself: In formal writing, retain "that" when you can, and in informal writing, omit it when you can. The version with "that" is almost always clearer, but you start to sound like a machine if you always keep it.

— Enoon

  • There is no universal rule.
  • I have a sort of rule of thumb I use myself: In formal writing, retain "that" when you can, and in informal writing, omit it when you can.
  • The version with "that" is almost always clearer, but you start to sound like a machine if you always keep it.
  • We tend to drop it in speech.
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3 Answers
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There is no universal rule. I have a sort of rule of thumb I use myself: In formal writing, retain "that" when you can, and in informal writing, omit it when you can.

The version with "that" is almost always clearer, but you start to sound like a machine if you always keep it. We tend to drop it in speech.
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With declarative content clauses, sometimes the subordinator that is obligatory, sometimes it's optional, and sometimes it's inadmissible. Here are some examples. The first in each pair is with that, the second without that. (I've starred the ungrammatical clauses):

1. Obligatory: That I need help is clear. (*I need help is clear)
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