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Discussion of English grammar, writing, and vocabulary.
Sometimes "That" Is Necessary
Now, there are several cases when a “that” might be necessary. If your sentence already has another “that” or two, you might not want to complicate it more by adding yet another “that” (3). One of the sentences above falls into this category. I said, “Some people think adding ‘that’ improves the flow of the sentence.” I could have also said, “Some people think THAT adding ‘that’ improves the flow of the sentence,” but I thought two cases of “that” would be a bit much.
Another time you should consider using a “that” is when your sentence could be ambiguous or misunderstood. Steven Pinker, a linguist, warns about what he calls “garden path sentences” (4). These are sentences that seem to mean one thing but then turn out to mean something else. Sometimes, keeping a “that” can help you avoid such problematic sentences. Pinker explains, “These are called garden path sentences, because their first words lead the listener ‘up the garden path’ to an incorrect analysis.”
Here an example of a sentence that leads the reader down the wrong path when you omit the word “that”:
Aardvark maintains Squiggly's yard is too big.
Without a “that,” the reader is initially led to believe that Aardvark maintains, as in mows, Squiggly's yard. If you add in a “that,” it's clear from the beginning that Aardvark just has an opinion.
Aardvark maintains that Squiggly's yard is too big
Pinker goes on to say that garden path sentences are “one of the hallmarks of bad writing” because readers have to wend their way back to the beginning of the sentence to figure out its meaning.
It is sometimes tricky to know if your sentence is ambiguous because you, the writer, know what you mean. I always find it useful to put aside my work for a while and then read it again with fresh eyes. You could also consider having a friend or colleague read over your work.
"to know what is the meaning."
what[object] the meaning [subject] is [verb].