Editing Language/English/Grammar/Common-Mistake-What-That

<div class="pg_page_title">"What" vs. "That" in English</div>
[[File:What-vs-that-common-mistake-english.jpg|thumb]]

== Difference between "that" and "what."==
One common mistake among many English learners is using "what" and "that" interchangeably in the middle of the sentence.

Many English learners, especially learners whose first language is Spanish, struggle to learn the difference.

The word "that" should be used to introduce clauses, whereas "what" should be used when it is the object of the clause you will introduce.

Let us take the following examples about someone choosing between two classes in college:

* Mary liked '''that''' the professor of the chemistry course was very nice.
* Mary liked '''what''' her friends said about the biology course.

While the words "that" and "what" may seem to fill an identical role, they are very different. 

In the first example, "'''''that'''''" is not the object of the clause it introduces.  It's role is only to introduce clauses. It could be replaced with "'''''the fact that'''''"

On the other hand, in the second sentence, "'''''what"''''' is the object of what Mary's friends said.  Mary's friends said '''<u>something</u>''' about the biology course. and Mary liked that '''<u>something.</u>'''    So  you can replace it with ''"'''the thing (s)   or    " the thing(s) which"''''' .

And that is the key difference between "that" and "what."

When you're done with this material, you might enjoy diving into these related areas: [[Language/English/Grammar/Verbosity-or-Circumlocution|Verbosity or Circumlocution]], [[Language/English/Grammar/Contractions|Contractions]], [[Language/English/Grammar/After-all|After all]] & [[Language/English/Grammar/Comparison-of-Adjectives|Comparison of Adjectives]]. 


== Another version of explanation ==
You should know: in this case “what” is a pronoun, “that” is a conjunction.

Examples:
* I know what they won.

<blockquote> The pronoun “what” is the object of the clause “what they won”; the clause “what they won” is the object of the sentence “I know what they won”. “What” <b>replaces</b> the noun, phrase or clause like “the price”. “Won” is a transitive verb here. Other pronouns with the same function are “who” (with transitive verb), “which” (with transitive verb), “when” (with intransitive verb), “where” (with intransitive verb), “why” (with intransitive verb), “how” (with intransitive verb). </blockquote>

* I know (it) that they won.

<blockquote> The conjunction “that” indicates the clause “they won” the content of the omitted cataphor “it” in the clause “I know it”. “That” <b>indicates</b> the phrase or clause (something can't be explained only by a noun). “Won” is an intransitive verb here. “That” can also be omitted sometimes. </blockquote>

If you understand these sentences, you have understood the differences of “what” and “that”:

* I know that they won, but I don't know what they won. What did they win? The ECWC?
* I know what they won. They won the ECWC. Of course I know that they won. I even know what they won.

If you still can't understand, copy these sentences and paste into Google Translate.

==Practice Exercises==
To further solidify your understanding of the differences between "what" and "that," try completing the following exercises. Choose whether "what" or "that" should be used in each sentence:

# I can't believe _____ you just said.
# She knows _____ it takes to succeed.
# The story _____ he told us last night was unbelievable.
# Do you know _____ the teacher explained in class today?
# I remember _____ day it happened.
# It's exactly _____ I was looking for!
# The reason _____ they left early is not clear.
# Tell me _____ you want for your birthday.
# The movie _____ we watched was really interesting.
# I don't understand _____ caused the delay.
# She didn't like _____ he commented on her work.
# Can you explain _____ makes this so important?
# I have no idea _____ they will do next.

===Solutions===
# what
# what
# that
# what
# that
# what
# that
# what
# that
# what
# that
# what
# what

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	|title=What is the difference between What and That in English?
	|description=It is important to know the difference between What and That. English Grammar. Enjoy learning!
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==Other Lessons==
* [[Language/English/Grammar/The-Hyphen-and-The-Dash|The Hyphen and The Dash]]
* [[Language/English/Grammar/Since-and-For|Since and For]]
* [[Language/English/Grammar/"Native-of"-Vs.-"Native-to"|"Native of" Vs. "Native to"]]
* [[Language/English/Grammar/Collocations-with-catch|Collocations with catch]]
* [[Language/English/Grammar/‘Differ-with’-and-‘Differ-from’|‘Differ with’ and ‘Differ from’]]
* [[Language/English/Grammar/Ask|Ask]]
* [[Language/English/Grammar/RELATIVE-PRONOUNS|RELATIVE PRONOUNS]]
* [[Language/English/Grammar/Possible-Positions-of-Adverbs-of-Time-in-a-Sentence|Possible Positions of Adverbs of Time in a Sentence]]
* [[Language/English/Grammar/Definite-Article|Definite Article]]
* [[Language/English/Grammar/Linking-with-And-But-So|Linking with And But So]]
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