Jennifer Zapp writes: "We are technical writers and have a question about the use of that. I can't find any rules on when to include the word that in statements like those that follow:
- A dialog box appears indicating that the course is not yet complete.
- A dialog box appears indicating the course is not yet complete."
The clauses in question here are noun clauses, and indeed the rules for omitting or including the word that are hardly ever discussed. I had to go through three grammar guides to find a discussion of this topic. When I did find a discussion, it agreed with what I had already learned from years of discussing this question with editors in my grammar classes: The word that is optional, but there are times when you cannot omit it without a loss of clarity. I also found some mild support for my personal practice–I never delete that from noun clauses.
Here's how it works. The word that is called a "complementizer." It tells the reader that the clause is a dependent clause acting as a noun. If you omit the complementizer, the reader has to figure out that the clause is a noun by analyzing the context. Usually this is OK, but consider these problem sentences:
- They believed the man, who was still panting and gasping for air, had almost drowned.
[At first it seems they did not think he was lying. Only later does it become clear that they believed something about him.]
- They believed that the man, who was still panting and gasping for air, had almost drowned.
- They saw the ship was sinking.
- They saw that the ship was sinking.
- They believed the ape, which had a vocabulary of 90 symbols, was able to use abstract reasoning.
- They believed that the ape, which had a vocabulary of 90 symbols, was able to use abstract reasoning.
In each case, I'm sure you'll agree, version 2 is just a little clearer. For this reason, I always keep the word that. The Writer's Digest Grammar Desk Reference says omission of that usually occurs more in speech than in writing. Analyzing English Grammar by Klammer, Schulz and Volpe points out that retaining the word that is clearer.
So there you have it. There is no rule stating that you must retain the word that, but without it you are risking clarity.
Join Jennie in our online classes (she'll be teaching two upcoming classes for IconLogic): Writing Training Documents and eLearning Scripts and Editing with Microsoft Word 2007.
Thank you for this post! I’ve been pulling my hair out trying to find hard-and-fast rules for keeping (or deleting) “that.” Thanks again!
Thank you for this post! I’ve been pulling my hair out trying to find hard-and-fast rules for keeping (or deleting) “that.” Thanks again!
Thank you for this post! I’ve been pulling my hair out trying to find hard-and-fast rules for keeping (or deleting) “that.” Thanks again!
Well greetings fellas thanks for the opportunity of post a message , also i would like to know more about Grammar Workshop is very interesting , how can i get more information about it , I want to sign up for more details.
Well greetings fellas thanks for the opportunity of post a message , also i would like to know more about Grammar Workshop is very interesting , how can i get more information about it , I want to sign up for more details.
Well greetings fellas thanks for the opportunity of post a message , also i would like to know more about Grammar Workshop is very interesting , how can i get more information about it , I want to sign up for more details.
The “Grammar Workshop” is a series of blog posts that Jennie Ruby writes for us with useful grammar tips. If you would like to be the first to receive these posts, you can sign up for our newsletter by clicking here:
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If you would like to take one of Jennie’s live, online courses, you can see this site for the Writing Training Documents and eLearning Scripts class:
http://iconlogic.com/WritingCurDevelopment.htm
And you can see this site for the Writing Effective eLearning Voiceover Scripts course:
http://iconlogic.com/WritingeLearningVoiceOverScripts.htm
The “Grammar Workshop” is a series of blog posts that Jennie Ruby writes for us with useful grammar tips. If you would like to be the first to receive these posts, you can sign up for our newsletter by clicking here:
http://visitor.constantcontact.com/manage/optin/ea?v=001dRCypZS7HoWgWn4B_svwtA%3D%3D
If you would like to take one of Jennie’s live, online courses, you can see this site for the Writing Training Documents and eLearning Scripts class:
http://iconlogic.com/WritingCurDevelopment.htm
And you can see this site for the Writing Effective eLearning Voiceover Scripts course:
http://iconlogic.com/WritingeLearningVoiceOverScripts.htm
The “Grammar Workshop” is a series of blog posts that Jennie Ruby writes for us with useful grammar tips. If you would like to be the first to receive these posts, you can sign up for our newsletter by clicking here:
http://visitor.constantcontact.com/manage/optin/ea?v=001dRCypZS7HoWgWn4B_svwtA%3D%3D
If you would like to take one of Jennie’s live, online courses, you can see this site for the Writing Training Documents and eLearning Scripts class:
http://iconlogic.com/WritingCurDevelopment.htm
And you can see this site for the Writing Effective eLearning Voiceover Scripts course:
http://iconlogic.com/WritingeLearningVoiceOverScripts.htm