Saturday, August 11, 2018

word problem - A grammatically valid sentence in English containing seven "that"'s in a row?


About 20 years ago on a forum now long gone, someone posted the above question. After people had had a chance to try it, he also posted the answer. I no longer remember the answer but really wish I did.


The answer was not along the lines of "I want that, that, that, that, that, that, and that."


Anyone have any ideas?



Answer



Found it:




"It is true for all that that that that that that that refers to is not the same that that that that refers to."



Meaning:



It is true for all that, that that "that" which that "that" refers to is not the same "that" which that "that" refers to.


Or perhaps more clearly: It is true, despite everything you say, that this word to which this word refers is not the same word to which this word refers.



For a clearer parsing: HERE


This one has 5:




"He said that that that that that boy used was incorrect."



Meaning:



He said that a particular boy's particular usage of the word "that" was incorrect



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