student asking question

What does "That" at the beginning of the sentence mean? I think this sentence would be fine without "That".

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

This is a continuation of the previous statement. You'll notice that he says, "moving in with a bunch of divorced guys means that I've given up hope. That my marriage to Lorna is over." He's chosen to start his sentence with "that" to reflect that it is adding to his previous statement, and this has the added effect of avoiding the repetition of "moving in with a bunch of divorced guys means..." Ex: It means that you've done well this time. [It means] That you've made everyone proud. Ex: I think the lack of customers means that the store will have to close. And that we've all lost our jobs.

Popular Q&As

03/22

Complete the expression with a quiz!