Is 'that' necessary for this sentence?

Question

My friend and I were playing this game, in which we were complimenting others.

For example, she said, "You're so pretty, all the boys want to 'holla' at you." Then I said, "You're so pretty, that all the girls just want to grab your face."

I was just wondering if 'that' is necessary for this type of context, and is it formal to add the 'that?' If so, is a comma needed before 'that'? Please explain!

Given the type of question you’ve asked, I think you might be interested in our sister site for English Language Learners. ELL tends to be a better fit for these sorts of questions than ELU does. — tchrist, Mar 20 '13 at 15:14

Barrie England · Answer 1 · 2013-03-16T12:27:04.207

3

In speech, that is not necessary. If you’re recording direct speech, then you write what the speaker actually said, and, in your example, a comma would not be required.

If you’re writing a similar sentence yourself, rather than recording what someone else said, then add that.

edited Mar 16 '13 at 12:27

answered Mar 16 '13 at 07:13

Barrie England

140,205

I would strongly disagree with a comma after that, as I believe that the comma replaces that in informal speech. (You wouldn't put a comma after that in my last sentence, presumably?) – Tim Lymington Mar 16 '13 at 11:25
@TimLymington. You're right. Answer amended. – Barrie England Mar 16 '13 at 12:27

Is 'that' necessary for this sentence?

1 Answers1