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That — Grokipedia Fact-checked by Grok 3 months ago That Ara Eve Leo Sal 1x That is a common English function word that functions primarily as a demonstrative pronoun and determiner to refer to a specific person , thing, or idea, often indicating distance or contrast; it also serves as a relative pronoun , adverb , and subordinating conjunction to introduce dependent clauses or express degree. [1] As a demonstrative , it distinguishes entities farther from the speaker, contrasting with "this," and is the singular form whose plural is "those," originating from Old English thæt , the neuter form of the definite article. [1] [2] In its pronominal use, "that" replaces a noun to avoid repetition, as in "That is my book," referring to an object previously mentioned or visible at a distance. [1] As a relative pronoun, it introduces restrictive clauses that define or limit the antecedent, such as "The book that I read was interesting," where the clause specifies which book. [3] As a determiner or adjective, it modifies nouns to indicate specificity or remoteness, for example, "That house over there is for sale." [1] In adverbial function, "that" denotes extent or manner, often in comparisons like "It wasn't that difficult," emphasizing degree. [1] As a conjunction, "that" links clauses to show result, purpose, or reason, commonly following verbs of saying or thinking, as in "She said that she was tired," though it can often be omitted in informal speech. [1] This multifaceted role makes "that" one of the most frequently used words in English, essential for pointing, connecting ideas, and qualifying statements in both spoken and written forms. [4] Its etymology traces back to Proto-Germanic þat , related to words in Dutch ( dat ) and German ( das ), reflecting its ancient roots in Indo-European languages for deictic reference. [2] Etymology and Historical Development Old English and Germanic Origins The word "that" traces its origins to the Proto-Indo-European (PIE) root *tod-, an extended neuter form of the demonstrative pronominal base *to-, which conveyed notions of "so" or "that" in reference to something indicated or nearby. [5] This root evolved into the Proto-Germanic (PGmc) *þat, a neuter singular demonstrative pronoun used to point out or identify objects, often with a sense of proximity or specificity. [5] In PGmc, *þat functioned primarily as a deictic element, distinguishing it from more proximal forms like *þis ("this"), and it formed part of a broader system of demonstratives that included masculine *sa and feminine *sō. [6] In Old English (OE), the PGmc *þat developed into the neuter nominative and accusative form þæt, which served as a demonstrative pronoun , adjective , and an early marker for relative clauses. [7] The full declension for the neuter singular included þæs in the genitive case (indicating possession, as in "of that") and þǣm or þām in the dative case (for indirect objects or prepositional phrases, as in "to that" or "by that"). [7] As a demonstrative , þæt could stand alone as a pronoun to refer to a specific thing or modify a noun as an adjective , while its relative use often introduced subordinate clauses, foreshadowing its later conjunctional role. [7] This form was integral to OE syntax , appearing frequently in prose and poetry to denote definiteness or anaphora. A representative example from the Old English epic Beowulf illustrates þæt's deictic function: in line 11 of the prologue, "þæt wæs gōd cyning" translates to "That was a good king," where þæt emphatically refers back to Scyld Scefing's renowned leadership. [8] Similarly, in line 24, "þæt hine on ylde eft gewunigen" uses þæt to introduce a purpose clause, meaning "so that afterwards men stand by him," highlighting its role in connecting ideas. [8] These usages in Beowulf reflect þæt's versatility in pointing to concrete or abstract referents within narrative contexts. Cognates of PGmc *þat appear across other Germanic languages, preserving its neuter demonstrative sense: Modern German das (neuter definite article and demonstrative), Dutch dat (neuter demonstrative and relative pronoun), and Gothic þata (neuter demonstrative, as in the New Testament translations). [5] [9] These forms underscore the shared inheritance from PGmc, where *þat and its variants maintained a core function of distal or specific reference amid dialectal divergences. [5] Evolution in Middle English and Beyond In Middle English , the demonstrative pronoun "that" experienced substantial morphological simplification as part of the broader loss of inflectional case endings across the language's noun and pronoun systems. Building on the Old English neuter form þæt and its inflected variants, "that" evolved into a largely invariant form by the late 14th century , losing distinctions between nominative, accusative, and genitive cases. This change is evident in Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales (c. 1387–1400), where "that" appears consistently without endings, serving both as a demonstrative and an emerging relative pronoun in sentences like "Whan that Aprille with his shoures soote" from the General Prologue. [10] During the Early Modern English period (c. 1500–1700), "that" expanded semantically and syntactically, particularly in its role as a relative pronoun , often blending its original demonstrative function with relative clause introduction. William Shakespeare's works exemplify this development, with "that" increasingly used to link clauses in a concise manner, as in Hamlet's "That one may smile, and smile, and be a villain " (Act 1, Scene 5), where it introduces restrictive relatives without the need for additional markers. [11] This shift contributed to "that" gradually supplanting the more elaborate Middle English construction "the which," which had arisen as a compound relative form (combining the definite article with the interrogative-relative "which") and was common in texts like those of John Wycliffe's Bible translations (late 14th century). [12] By the 18th and 19th centuries, grammatical standardization efforts further refined "that"'s usage in relative clauses, with influential works promoting distinctions between "that" and "which" to clarify restrictive versus non-restrictive functions. Lindley Murray's English Grammar (1795), one of the most widely adopted textbooks of its era, emphasized "that" for defining relatives while reserving "which" for non-essential ones, helping to codify these preferences amid the push for prescriptive clarity in written English. [13] Although the Great Vowel Shift (c. 1400–1700) primarily altered long vowels and thus had limited direct impact on "that"'s short vowel pronunciation, it coincided with these usage stabilizations, reinforcing the word's entrenched syntactic versatility. [14] Grammatical Functions Demonstrative Pronoun and Determiner In English grammar , "that" functions as a demonstrative determiner when it precedes and specifies a noun , indicating remoteness in space or context relative to the speaker or listener. This contrasts with "this," which denotes proximity; for instance, " that car across the street" points to a vehicle farther away, while "this car" would refer to one nearby. As a determiner , "that" is singular and typically heads a noun phrase , providing deictic identification without implying indefiniteness. [15] When used as a demonstrative pronoun, "that" stands alone in place of a full noun phrase , often serving an anaphoric role by referring back to something previously mentioned in discourse . For example, in the sentence "She bought a new laptop . That was expensive," the pronoun "that" replaces "a new laptop " to avoid repetition and maintain cohesion. This usage allows "that" to function as the subject, object, or complement in a clause , emphasizing a specific referent with a sense of distance . [16] Syntactically, "that" as a determiner follows standard rules for English determiners: it cannot directly modify proper nouns, which are inherently definite and do not require specification (e.g., one says "Paris" rather than "*that Paris," though descriptive phrases like "that Paris of my dreams" may occur). Its plural counterpart is "those," as in "those books over there," extending the deictic function to multiple items. These rules ensure "that" integrates seamlessly into noun phrases without conflicting with the noun's inherent properties. [15] [17] Semantically, "that" conveys not only physical remoteness but also temporal or psychological distance , such as in references to past events or emotionally detached concepts. For example, "that summer we spent in Europe " evokes a remote point in time , while "that's a good idea" might create subtle psychological separation from the speaker's immediate perspective. This multifaceted deixis underscores "that"'s role in directing attention to entities perceived as less immediate or more objective. [18] Relative Pronoun In English grammar, the word "that" functions primarily as a relative pronoun to introduce restrictive relative clauses, which provide essential information to specify or identify the antecedent noun they modify. [19] For instance, in the sentence "The car that broke down was mine," the clause "that broke down" restricts the reference to a particular car among potentially many. These clauses are not set off by commas, as they are integral to the sentence's meaning. [19] "That" demonstrates versatility by referring to people, animals, or things without distinction, unlike "who" (typically for people) or "which" (for non-human entities). It lacks case variation, remaining invariant regardless of its role as subject or object in the clause; for example, "the man that I saw" uses "that" equivalently for both positions. Originating from the Old English demonstrative pronoun þæt , this form has adapted to relative use while retaining its neutral character. [20] A key restriction is that "that" cannot directly f