Love, Grammar Part II - Common Grammar Mistakes and How To Avoid Them
If you missed the first "Love, Grammar" article, read it here and improve your writing today! 1. That "That" is a useful word in certain contexts. CORRECT: That's where I go to school. CORRECT: Can I help you with that? But it can also be annoyingly redundant, slow down your reader, and muddle the meaning of a sentence. I'm going to term this usage "incorrect," even though it's technically correct, because most editors will delete it on sight. CORRECT: I shelved the book I'd been reading earlier. INCORRECT: I shelved the book that I'd been reading earlier. Notice how the omission of "that" in the correct example makes the sentence seem a bit more casual, too, since most people don't interrupt their speech to add the extra word. This is not to say that if you want to sound more formal, you should keep the "that." Whenever possible, you should delete it, no matter the tone of your writing. CORRECT: This is not
