Jose Carillo's English Forum
English Grammar and Usage Problems => Use and Misuse => Topic started by: Miss Mae on November 28, 2013, 02:20:42 PM
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Is it a writer's prerogative to do so?
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Omitting "that" in a complex sentence is definitely a writer's prerogative but certain caveats must be observed to keep the sense of the sentence intact. I posted in the Forum on July 3, 2010 a two-part essay on "When to keep or knock off 'that'." Check out that essay by clicking this link to "Getting a better handle on when to use or to just knock off 'that'.” (http://josecarilloforum.com/forum/index.php?topic=765.0)
For a systems appreciation of the grammar and semantics involved in the dropping or retaining of "that," I suggest a rigorous reading of my three-part essay on "Getting to know the relative clauses better" (http://josecarilloforum.com/forum/index.php?topic=6090.0) that I posted in the Forum last November 17, 2013.
When you're done with these readings, I'm very sure that you'd have developed a sure knack for deciding when to retain or drop "that" from a complex sentence.
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Thank you, Sir!