Try snuffing the word “that” from your writing. Most of the time, you don’t need it.
This sentence:
She knew that she loved him and he knew that he loved her, too.
can be reduced to:
She knew she loved him and he knew he loved her, too.
This tiny change will tighten your writing and make it sound smoother, too. From Strunk and White’s “Elements of Style,”page 78:
The ear, for example, must decide when to omit “that” from a sentence, when to retain it. “She knew she could do it” is preferable to “She knew that she could do it”—simpler and just as clear.
Of course, don’t always cut “that” out. Again, Strunk and White:
But in many cases the that is needed. “He felt that his big nose, which was sunburned, made him look ridiculous.” Omit the that and you have “He felt his big nose…”
Remember this advice the next time you write. You’ll be thankful soon enough.
Photo by aussiegall.
damon
That is to that point
Gausster
That was a great English lesson. I always wondered about the use of “that”… Now I know!
Pallab
Awesome tip.
Now that you mention it seems such an obvious thing to do. I went back and glanced through a few of my posts and found several unnecessary usages of that.