Have you ever been listening to a friend tell a story and zone out? Not that you don’t love your friend, it is just a boring story. It’s not engaging, and she is using too many words to get the point across.
That is how many readers feel when they read too many ‘that’s’ in a story.
Most use of the word is unnecessary. There is nothing you need to replace it with, you can simply delete it.
That mostly follows verbs like said, learned, felt, remembered, or thought.
But can also be used as an adverb or adjective.
The best way to determine if ‘that’ is working for you is to take it out.
Bryan said that he was going to the party.
Bryan said he was going to the party.
The clothes that you dropped off yesterday are in the dryer.
The clothes you dropped off yesterday are in the dryer.
The paper that fell off the desk is mine.
The paper fell off the desk is mine.
*Here the sentence makes little sense without the addition of ‘that.’
I agree with your assumption that the food is good.
I agree with your assumption; the food is good.
*Watch out for omissions that change the meaning of the sentence!
When in doubt, omit ‘that.’
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