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I've read in several places that it's better to omit "that" in sentences, because it's best to omit extra words. Also in programs like "Grammarly" and "Pro Writing Aid" they recommend removing it for that reason.

But sometimes it feels/sounds like it's not grammatically correct. Are there rules that govern whether one can/should remove it? Is it a matter of style?

"...the plane Bill had folded..." vs. "the plane that Bill had folded..."

romebot
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  • Can you write a complete sentence? – Jan May 16 '19 at 08:15
  • In my opinion, this is the kind of thing that native speakers of English can do automatically, without thinking about it, or searching for some kind of rule to apply to it. As a native speaker and translator, I simply know when the sentence needs to have a "that" in it and when it can be omitted. If there are any rules governing this sort of thing, then I am unaware of them, even though I'm described as a professional language user. – user218195 May 16 '19 at 10:32
  • @user218195 Well, maybe, but this is a site for linguists and serious language enthusiasts. Everything we study, worry about, think about and try to explain is exactly all that stuff that native speakers understand without thinking but don't know how to explain. That's what it's all about. That's the exciting stuff. Everything else is just bluuuurgh. – Araucaria - Him May 16 '19 at 22:54
  • @Jan I don't get your comment there? – Araucaria - Him May 16 '19 at 22:56
  • @Araucaria, in the question, the OP gives the example "...the plane Bill had folded..." as only one part of the sentence and asks if "that" should be used. I think it's better to give a complete sentence, because there are other options than "that" possible, for example, "which," depending on the sentence. – Jan May 17 '19 at 06:16
  • @Jan Ah, I see. – Araucaria - Him May 18 '19 at 09:11
  • thanks for the good discussion. – romebot May 19 '19 at 11:13

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