That
Is there any reason for the “that” in the following sentence?
I thought that the day was warm. vs. I thought the day was warm.
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Chris (unregistered)
February 18, 2006, 4:07am
The use of "that" often makes the meaning of a sentence (especially a long sentence) clearer.
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mike (unregistered)
September 28, 2005, 10:23pm
Thanks guys!
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ladyjane (unregistered)
September 28, 2005, 10:36am
It's superfluous in English but quite necessary in Latinate languages, from which many grammarians take their language cues.
Another common "rule of grammar" is to never end a sentence in a preposition. Why? Well, because in Latin, if one did this, the sentence wouldn't make any sense. However, since English is a lovely bastard language of Germanic origins with Latinate overtones, one CAN end a sentence in a preposition and be understood perfectly well.
If you want to be more germanic, leave out 'that'. If you want to be more latinate, keep it.
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chris.sigler
September 28, 2005, 7:25am
In your example without the "that", a "that" is understood. You are building a complex sentence with an adverbial clause, and "that" acts as the conjunction. Note the two separate clauses, each with a subject and predicate:
"I thought" + that + "the day was warm"
When you eliminate the "that" from the sentence, there is no conjunction, but the two clauses remain. As a result, the conjunction is understood, much like "you" is understood to be the subject of imperative sentences ("Go get the ball." => "You go get the ball.").
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Mike 2 (unregistered)
September 27, 2005, 7:29pm
"That" is implying a previous thought.
You can't say "I thunk" or "I thoughted".
"Thought that" is past tense.
I'm not sure though.
(And I'm not the same Mike)
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redemholcomb
September 26, 2005, 10:56pm
when you say "i thought that the day was warm" vs. "thought the day was warm" , the senctence whit the that is seemingly more specific. like you had a clearer idea that is was warm, rather than just saying "i though the day was warm" , which is more vague nad like, oh yeah...it was warm...heh yeah thats what i think, im jsut an 8th grader...:)
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barble (unregistered)
September 26, 2005, 10:16pm
when you say, "I thought that . . ." you're indicating a specific instance of thought that you have previously catagorized in your mind, whereas "I thought . . ." is indicating that you had a general idea or feeling of the day being warm.
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Rhen (unregistered)
September 26, 2005, 8:08pm
I can't give you a specific rule, but from the way it sounds, I think using that is a little redundant and unneeded. You're using "that" to show what you thought. But you've already told us you thought. So you don't need to include a word, which means what you've already written. Just say, "I thought the day was warm." When in doubt, use the shortest sentence that makes sense. I hope I helped.
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