that
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
How often you will meet it
Rank 9 of 71,295 words measured. It occurs 2,820,178 times across 155,139 chapters — 1.341% of every word in the library.
It belongs to the first 100 words, the band worth learning before any other.
What it means
conjunction
- used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
determiner
- used for a person or thing at a distance, or already known
pronoun
- used to introduce a clause that says which person or thing is meant
that in real books
Each sentence below was written by a published author and is taken from a different book in our library. Open one to read the passage it came from, with narration.
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For that is the spirit of Yale.
The Courage of the Commonplace · Mary Raymond Shipman Andrews · Chapter 1
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Even things that are true can be proved.
The Picture of Dorian Gray · Oscar Wilde · Chapter 1
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Whether this implied that he had been disappointed in his wife, nobody could tell.
Christian's Mistake · Dinah Maria Mulock Craik · Chapter 1
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The others are to be sung to old airs that are presumably familiar to everyone.
The White Christmas and other Merry · Walter Ben Hare · Chapter 1
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The little girl said nothing, for there is no balm for the tragedy of the big fish that gets away.
The Heart of the Hills · John, Jr. Fox · Chapter 1