I agree with you about using it for clarity or emphasis. There are times when it should be taken out and others when it should be kept. I'm all for removing unnecessary words, but sometimes 'rules' can be taken to absurd levels.
For your example, Suzanne:
Quote
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.
Both ways leave almost the same ambiguity by the time the word 'disapprove' is reached.
1) The conviction that Mr. Darcy would disapprove…
2) The conviction Mr. Darcy would disapprove…
Both could lead you to think it's "the conviction" Mr. Darcy is disapproving. Isn't it really the fact that 'the conviction' begins the sentence that causes the problem, not the presence or absence of 'that'?
