What’s Wrong with That? Take That Challenge

I keep a long list of words to avoid when writing, one of which is that. According to the Cambridge dictionary, we use it as a determiner, a demonstrative pronoun, a relative pronoun, and an intensifier (as in, She’s not that great.). We also use it as a conjunction to introduce that-clauses, linking a verb, adjective, or noun with a clause. Some examples:

She knew (that) something bad had happened.

It’s important (that) we look at the problem in more detail.

He is exploring the possibility (that) a tick bite caused his illness.

It’s one of the most overused words in writing. Go ahead and do a search for the word in a recent document of yours and check out how many times you’ve used it. More often than not, “that” is an unnecessary filler word in a sentence. You can enhance readability by deleting it.

So, here’s your challenge this week. As you write and rewrite, ask yourself if removing “that” still makes your sentences clear and grammatically correct. If removing “that” doesn’t change the meaning of the sentence or cause confusion, take it out. We do need the word sometimes for various reasons in the structure and function of a sentence, but in many instances, you can leave it out.

How’s that for a challenge?

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