Punctuality Rules!

MM: Don’t Say That!

MM: Don’t Say That!

mangled2

No, I’m not saying you can’t use the word “that” at all. It’s such a useful word. In fact, I love “that.” It’s so strong and versatile, it can do almost anything.

  • It can be a pronoun. (“That‘s my cousin over there.” “I like the bigger painting better than that one.”)
  • It can be an adjective. (“I like that color, don’t you?”)
  • It can be an adverb. (“My question’s not that important.”
  • It comes included with a wide range of handy idioms. (“That is, I meant to call, but…” “I said no, and that’s that!”)
  • But, it can also be a conjunction, introducing subordinate clauses, and that’s where “that” gets into trouble. (“I can’t believe that you liked that movie.” “Then I told her that I loved her, and she just stood there.”)

You’re thinking, “Why is that a problem? What’s wrong with that?” (ahem, see? Using “that” is handy.)

The problem is that “that” as a conjunction is often completely unnecessary. Take another look at those two examples, only, remove the word “that.”

  • “I can’t believe you liked that movie.”
  • “Then I told her I loved her, and she just stood there.”

You don’t even miss it, do you? The sentence is just as clear, just as good … it’s just that much stronger for the lack of “that.”

Why does this matter? It matters because “that” can change from being a strong, useful word to a lazy, flabby filler in a heartbeat.

Let’s look at this random paragraph, shall we?

I didn’t have a chance to say goodbye, either. Not really.” I fumbled with my explanation. “Everything happened so fast, and neither of us expected that the ship would actually go down. It just wasn’t possible, was it? We thought that they were just taking rather extraordinary precautions—not that it was real.” I could not look at their faces, but focused intently on the hall carpet, concentrating on how the blues and reds wove together. “If I had realized that I would never see him again, I would have . . . I don’t know. Said something more? Acted differently? Told him that I loved him one more time?”

“That” makes five appearances in this paragraph, and so far as I’m concerned, only one of them is at all necessary. Do you see which one?

I didn’t have a chance to say goodbye, either. Not really.” I fumbled with my explanation. “Everything happened so fast, and neither of us expected the ship would actually go down. It just wasn’t possible, was it? We thought they were just taking rather extraordinary precautions—not that it was real.” I could not look at their faces, but focused intently on the hall carpet, concentrating on how the blues and reds wove together. “If I had realized I would never see him again, I would have . . . I don’t know. Said something more? Acted differently? Told him I loved him one more time?”

This is my new hobby. That-hunting. I find that, now that I am looking for it, I use it way more often than is necessary. It isn’t incorrect, mind you, just … unnecessary. And since good writing is tight, lean, flab-free writing … why would you use words you don’t need?

13 thoughts on “MM: Don’t Say That!

  1. Marisa Birns

    Whew! I’m relieved I picked the correct “that” to keep in paragraph! (see? left a ‘that’ out between ‘relieved’ and ‘I’) 🙂

    Excellent reminder–with very clear examples–of how not to use a word in an unnecessary manner.

    That’s good advice!
    .-= Marisa Birns´s last blog ..Magic Number =-.

  2. Bruce H

    This is particularly good advice when writing dialogue. While it’s grammatically incorrect to drop “that” as a conjunction, we’re not writing for schoolteachers anymore!

  3. --Deb

    I absolutely use Word’s search to look for “that” in my manuscripts. All the time. No matter how often I remind myself not to use it unnecessarily, I still add it ALL the time.

    And, can you imagine how stiff and dry writing would be if we WERE still writing for school teachers? Rules are important, but the sentences you form for an essay often just don’t fit in other forms of writing. There’s a reason that the worst kind of text books are absolute bears to get through … the writing is too grammatical. (Yes, there really is such a thing.)
    .-= –Deb´s last blog ..MM: Don’t Say That! =-.

  4. --Deb Post author

    When I open the Find function in Word these days, the word “that” is almost waiting for me. I’m working hard at my that-hunting!

  5. Seth

    One ought to note that “that” is necessary for formal writing – it is an essential conjunction in Latinate (and therefore English) subordinate construction.

  6. Robyn

    That was excellent advice. I can’t believe no one else feels the same as I do about that word. Maybe your post will change all that.

    My pet peeve, on the other hand, is “the reason why.” The “why” is usually redundant. Maybe I can change that.