that

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See also That, and þat

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[edit] English

[edit] Etymology

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Old English þæt (neuter relative pronoun, definite article).

[edit] Pronunciation

[edit] Conjunction

that

  1. Connecting noun clause (as involving reported speech etc.); introducing a subordinate noun clause. [from 9th c.]
    He told me that the book is a good read.
  2. (archaic) Introducing a hypothetical fact or supposition: ‘given that’, ‘as would appear from the fact that’. [from 11th c.]
    • 1623, William Shakespeare, The Comedy of Errors:
      What, are you mad, that you doe reason so?
  3. With antecedent so or such: introducing the result of the main clause. [from 11th c.]
    • 2008, Zoe Williams, The Guardian, 23 May 2008:
      My dad apparently always said that no child of his would ever be harassed for its poor eating habits, and then I arrived, and I was so disgusting that he revised his opinion.
  4. (archaic) Without any antecedent: so that. [from 12th c.]
    • 1714, Alexander Pope, The Rape of the Lock, III.1:
      The hungry judges soon the sentence sign, and wretches hang that jurymen may dine.

[edit] Usage notes

  • That used to introduce a subordinate clause is often omitted — "He told me that it is a good read." could just as easily be "He told me it is a good read."

[edit] Translations

connecting noun clause
connecting clause indicating purpose
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
Translations to be checked

[edit] Determiner

that (plural those)

  1. The (thing) being indicated (at a distance from the speaker, or previously mentioned, or at another time).
    That book is a good read.
    That battle was in 1450.

[edit] Translations

what is being indicated

[edit] Derived terms

[edit] Pronoun

that demonstrative (plural those)

  1. (demonstrative) That thing.
    That was an interesting example.

[edit] Antonyms

[edit] Translations

that thing

[edit] Pronoun

that relative

  1. (relative) Which, who.
    Who was the actor that played Hamlet?
    I like the song that you wrote.
    • 2011 November 10, Jeremy Wilson, “England Under 21 5 Iceland Under 21 0: match report”, Telegraph:
      The most persistent tormentor was Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who scored a hat-trick in last month’s corresponding fixture in Iceland. His ability to run at defences is instantly striking, but it is his clever use of possession that has persuaded some shrewd judges that he is an even better prospect than Theo Walcott.

[edit] Usage notes

  • Many authors prescribe that, in this sense, that be used in restrictive contexts only (contexts in which the relative clause is part of the identification of the noun phrase) and that, in non-restrictive contexts (in which the relative clause serves only to provide additional information about an already-identified noun phrase, e.g. I like the last song on the album, which John wrote), which (in the example) or who/whom be used. In actual usage this prescription is not always followed.
  • In a restrictive relative clause, that is never used as the object of a preposition unless the preposition occurs at the end of the clause; otherwise which is used: "This is the car I spoke of" can be rendered as "This is the car that I spoke of" or as "This is the car of which I spoke", but is never rendered as "This is the car of that I spoke."
  • Prescriptively, with a human antecedent who/whom is preferred over that: "Who was the actor who played Hamlet?" is preferred over "Who was the actor that played Hamlet?"

[edit] Translations

which

[edit] Adverb

that (not comparable)

  1. (degree) To a given extent or degree; particularly.
    I'm just not that sick.
  2. (dialect in positive, standard in negative constructions) So, so much; very.
    Ooh, I was that happy I nearly kissed her.
    I did the run last year, and it wasn't that difficult.
  3. (dialect) indeed.
    The water is so cold!
    That it is.

[edit] Translations

degree
so, so much, very
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
Translations to be checked

[edit] See also

[edit] Statistics

[edit] Old Dutch

[edit] Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *þat.

[edit] Pronoun

that n.

  1. that, that one

[edit] Determiner

that n.

  1. that

[edit] Descendants

  • Middle Dutch: dat

[edit] Old Saxon

[edit] Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *þat.

[edit] Pronoun

that n.

  1. that, that one

[edit] Determiner

that n.

  1. that

[edit] Descendants

  • Low German: dat
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