With "that"

We can use clauses with that:

• after verbs of thinking:

• think
• believe
• expect
• decide
• hope
• know
• understand
• suppose
• guess
• imagine
• feel
• remember
• forget

I hope that you will enjoy your holiday.
She didn’t really think that it would happen.
I knew that I had seen her somewhere before.

• after verbs of saying:

• say
• admit
• argue
• reply
• agree
• claim
• deny
• mention
• answer
• complain
• explain
• promise
• suggest

They admitted that they had made a mistake.
She argued that they should invest more in the business.
The children complained that they had nothing to do.

Note: tell and some other verbs of saying must always have a direct object (see clauses, sentences and phrases):

• tell
• convince
• persuade
• inform
• remind

We tried to tell them that they should stop what they were doing.
The police informed everybody that the danger was over.

• as postmodifiers after nouns to do with thinking or saying:

• advice
• belief
• claim
• feeling
• argument
• hope
• promise
• report
• guess
• opinion
• idea

He made a promise that he would do all he could to help.
I had a funny feeling that something was wrong.

• after some nouns to say more about the noun:

• fact
• advantage
• effect
• possibility
• chance
• danger
• evidence
• problem
• difficulty

She pointed out the danger that they might be left behind.
There was a chance that we would succeed

Note: We often use a that clause to define one of these nouns after the verb be :

• danger
• problem
• chance
• possibility
• fact

The danger is that we will be left behind.
The fact is that it is getting very late.

• after some adjectives which describe feelings to give a reason for our feelings:

• pleased
• sorry
• happy
• unhappy
• sad
• excited
• glad
• disappointed
• afraid

I am sorry that you can’t come.
Everybody was pleased that the danger was past.
It is lucky that you were able to drive us home.

No "that"

NOTE: We can always use a clause without the word that:

They admitted [that] they had made a mistake.
The police informed everybody [that] the danger was over.
I am sorry [that] you can’t come.
There was chance [that] we would succeed.

Exercise