Posted on 12-15-22

That is continued

So, in the 12-2-22 post it was mentioned how ‘that’ is overused to the point of being read without thought. We also say this word without thought.

Have you looked through your work to see how many times ‘that’ slipped in?

While you can actively try to keep ‘that’ out of your works, the best way to find ‘that’ is after you are through writing and ready to make your first pass on editing. You can do a word search and go to every instance where ‘that’ appears.

Sidenote: You can use that for people, but my personal preference is to use 'who.' It is also considered formal this way.

Remember: If the clause is restrictive, use 'that.'

Look at your sentence structure, where ‘that’ is placed and how ‘that’ is used. If ‘that’ can be replaced, do so. If you think you can rewrite a sentence, do so.

You might even come up with a better way of explaining what you mean!

But remember, even though you might be able to take ‘that’ out, it doesn’t mean you can’t use ‘that.’

‘That’ isn’t a bad word—just an overused one.

I hope this helps you, and don’t forget to…

Write On!