Why do we use that ?
We use that (singular):
- to talk about things that are not near us:
What’s that?
This is our house, and that’s Rebecca’s house over there.
- We also use that to refer back to something someone said or did:
Shall we go to the cinema?
Yes, that’s a good idea.
I’ve got a new job.
That’s great.
I’m very tired.
Why is that?
That as a Determiner
‘That’ is used as a determiner at the beginning of sentences to indicate one object which is far from the speaker. Note that the plural form of ‘that’ as a determiner is ‘those’. ‘That’ and ‘those’ is generally used with ‘there’ to indicate that the object(s) is not close to the speaker.
Examples
That’s my friend Tom over there.
That’s a pencil you have in your hand.
That Clause as Subject of a Sentence
‘That’ clauses can introduce a phrase acting as the subject of a sentence. This use of ‘that’ clauses is somewhat formal and is not common in everyday speech.
That as a conjunction
That can also be used as a conjunction.
- His manners are so bad that nobody invites him to a party.
- Bring it to the light so that I can see it better.
- You may borrow my car on condition that you bring it before 10 pm.