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Grammar Buffs: the double "that"

Posted on 12/15/21 at 8:00 pm
Posted by LSUFreek
Greater New Orleans
Member since Jan 2007
16158 posts
Posted on 12/15/21 at 8:00 pm
Is it correct to write "that" twice/consecutively in a sentence? I recently did, and it just looks funny.

Ex: "I know that that is not the answer."

Seems like I could simply avoid that just by replacing the second "that" with "it" ("I know that it is not the answer.") but I'm unsure if the double "that" is even incorrect.





Speaking of which, my mother and a buddy from high school both reply to me (often) with the idiom, "Well, the thing of it is is that..blah, blah, blah.."

Can you use write/say is twice as well?
Posted by LNCHBOX
70448
Member since Jun 2009
88765 posts
Posted on 12/15/21 at 8:01 pm to
"I know that is not the answer" conveys the same point without the redundancy.
Posted by Wait For It...
Member since Jun 2012
3527 posts
Posted on 12/15/21 at 8:01 pm to
Yes you can, but you need to put a comma between the repeated word.

I know that, that is not the answer.
Posted by LegendInMyMind
Member since Apr 2019
73000 posts
Posted on 12/15/21 at 8:02 pm to
You probably can use it that way, but it still irritates the shite out of me, even when I have to do it.
Posted by TDcline
American Gardens building 11th flor
Member since Aug 2015
9498 posts
Posted on 12/15/21 at 8:02 pm to
Subordinating that: “I know that this is the answer.”
Demonstrative pronoun that: “That is not the answer.”
Adjectival that: “That answer is not it.”

ETA: Cum Cum on the Kick Drum
This post was edited on 12/15/21 at 8:04 pm
Posted by BHM
Member since Jun 2012
3896 posts
Posted on 12/15/21 at 8:02 pm to
Not a Grammer buff but I just say "that is not the answer".

Not sure why you are saying the word that twice?
Posted by Kafka
I am the moral conscience of TD
Member since Jul 2007
155311 posts
Posted on 12/15/21 at 8:03 pm to
that that is is that that is not is not that that is is not that that is not that that is not is not that that is is that not it it is
Posted by Yewkindewit
Near Birmingham, Alabama
Member since Apr 2012
21698 posts
Posted on 12/15/21 at 8:04 pm to
I grit my teeth when I hear, “The thing of it is……”.
Posted by Blutarsky
112th Congress
Member since Jan 2004
11726 posts
Posted on 12/15/21 at 8:05 pm to
quote:

You probably can use it that way, but it still irritates the shite out of me, even when I have to do it.


I’ll reword it to avoid the repetition.
Posted by dbeck
Member since Nov 2014
29454 posts
Posted on 12/15/21 at 8:05 pm to
It's not grammatically wrong but I go out of my way to avoid those doubled words.

"I know you're not an English teacher but what is it that you do do?"
Posted by Booyow
Member since Mar 2010
4184 posts
Posted on 12/15/21 at 8:06 pm to
Not a grammar buff: I just say “Wrong answer motherfricker” in my best Samuel L. Jackson voice
Posted by GRTiger
On a roof eating alligator pie
Member since Dec 2008
69775 posts
Posted on 12/15/21 at 8:07 pm to
I write and review a lot of reports, and I try to avoid the double that as much as possible. Doesn't answer your question, but it's mostly avoidable.
Posted by LSUFreek
Greater New Orleans
Member since Jan 2007
16158 posts
Posted on 12/15/21 at 8:08 pm to
quote:

"I know you're not an English teacher but what is it that you do do?"


Yep, that's another one!
Posted by Kafka
I am the moral conscience of TD
Member since Jul 2007
155311 posts
Posted on 12/15/21 at 8:10 pm to
quote:

"I know you're not an English teacher but what is it that you do do?"
do do that voodoo that you do so well
Posted by Bbobalou
HOGTOWN
Member since Oct 2012
5515 posts
Posted on 12/15/21 at 8:11 pm to
The strangest thing seeing this post. I had a teacher in college discuss how many times the word "that" could be used consecutively and still make sense. She said the record was something like 12 times. I could never get more than 4.

That that that that girl has is cool.
This post was edited on 12/15/21 at 8:13 pm
Posted by Jamohn
Das Boot
Member since Mar 2009
13595 posts
Posted on 12/15/21 at 8:17 pm to
I had had a thought about this...
Posted by Kafka
I am the moral conscience of TD
Member since Jul 2007
155311 posts
Posted on 12/15/21 at 8:18 pm to
buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo
Posted by LSUFreek
Greater New Orleans
Member since Jan 2007
16158 posts
Posted on 12/15/21 at 8:18 pm to
quote:

That that that that girl has is cool.


I'm struggling getting past two of them, much less 4 or 12.
This post was edited on 12/15/21 at 8:22 pm
Posted by Boring
Member since Feb 2019
3792 posts
Posted on 12/15/21 at 8:23 pm to
quote:

I know that, that is not the answer.


Call your parents. When they ask how you’re doing, I want you to tell them the truth.
Posted by Undertow
Member since Sep 2016
9006 posts
Posted on 12/15/21 at 8:23 pm to
quote:

I grit my teeth when I hear, “The thing of it is……”.


Sounds like something Morgan Freeman would say.
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