Dump Many 'That' Words When You Write

 

Do I need all these words?

This morning, I received a critique for a short piece I'd subbed to my online writing group. The person who sent me her thoughts and suggestions had some nice things to say, and she also pointed out some places where I might change words. More than once, she marked the word 'that' and suggested it be deleted.

I should have smacked myself in the head, because using an unnecessary word like 'that' is a mistake I should not have made. I've written about it more than once on this blog. It shows that even a seasoned writer can make mechanical errors and not even be cognizant of the common mistake. 

Yes, it is a common mistake to add words to a sentence that don't add a thing and are no loss when deleted. Several common words end up in that category. They're added fluff. A few of them are:  very, that, really, rather, quite, somehow. Those words take up space and add no extra meaning to the sentence. There are many others. Use a search engine to find full articles on this topic.

Today, I am focusing on the unnecessary word 'that.' Two examples from the short piece I subbed are below. 

     ....so close to the tracks that we could look in the windows. 

    ...so close to the tracks we could look in the windows.  Nothing is lost by removing 'that'

    ...I quickly learned that I was not  to touch...

    ---I quickly learend I was not to touch...  Nothing lost by removing 'that'

  Concentrate on removing the word 'that' when it adds nothing to your sentence. Instead of trying to keep an entire list of words in your mind, stay with this one for a while. If you have a habit of inserting this unnecessary word, it could be easier to break yourself than if you attempt to keep track of a list of words.

Are there times when you do need the word 'that?' Yes. If you write 'That blue car ran a stoplight.' the word 'that' is necessary. It's descriptive. Don't go through a story or essay you wrote and slash every 'that' word you see. Some of them work quite well. 

Losing this unnecessary word when you write is not crucial to selling your work to an editor, but it may help. An editor might take notice if you make this mistake numerous times. Small errors throughout add up.