Hi, everyone. Yes, I'm still around. I'm sorry I've been so absent. Life's really busy these days. I'm still writing, though, although slowly and at too many stories at once. I'm hoping I may have something finished before too terribly long (don't hold your breath).
Anyway, I'm here because I have a very important subject I want to discuss: the word "that."
I have now read at least two articles on writing which list "that" as a useless word that should nearly always be removed from sentences (you see what I did there?). And you know what? I really disagree with that. (the unintentional puns are abounding) While there are times that "that" is better left out than put in, most of the time I think sentences read better with it. It adds clarity and pointedness.
Here's an example I found in a story I'm working on right now: "The conviction that Mr. Darcy would disapprove only made her more determined."
If I wrote "The conviction Mr. Darcy would disapprove only made her more determined," then, for me, when I'm reading it, right about the time I get to the word "disapprove," I'm thinking that it's "the conviction" that Mr. Darcy's disapproving, and I have to spend the rest of the sentence sorting out the real meaning. Adding the "that" makes it more clear from the beginning. I've seen a lot of sentences like this before, where I thought a well places "that" would have definitely prevented a certain level of mid-sentence confusion.
Another more subtle example: "It was obvious that something was disturbing his mind, but Elizabeth could not imagine what it might be." I could take out the "that' and the meaning would still be perfectly clear, but I think it adds a pointedness which is important for balancing the structure of the sentence.
That's my opinion and I'm sticking to it, but I'd like to know if any of you other writers and grammarians agree with me on this, or if I'm alone in my that-wards affinity.
PS In looking for sentences to use in this post, I did find a few where I actually decided to take the that out, after looking at it more closely, so I'm not trying to advocate for its use at all times. I just think it's totally wrong to just take it out every time the grammar doesn't absolutely demand it.
