The sentence ‘New information about diet shows us that what many people think is incorrect’ can be perplexing for English learners due to the placement of ‘that’ before ‘what’. In this article, we’ll break down the sentence structure to explain why this arrangement is grammatically correct and how it works.
1. The Role of ‘That’ and ‘What’ in the Sentence
In this sentence, ‘that’ serves as a conjunction connecting the main clause (‘New information about diet shows us’) with the noun clause that explains the content of the information. ‘What’ functions as a relative pronoun introducing the noun clause that serves as the object of the verb ‘shows’. The phrase ‘what many people think’ refers to the incorrect ideas people have about diet.
2. Why ‘That’ Comes Before ‘What’
The reason ‘that’ precedes ‘what’ is because ‘that’ is a subordinating conjunction introducing the entire noun clause, while ‘what’ is part of the noun clause. In English grammar, it’s common to use ‘that’ to introduce noun clauses, especially when referring to specific information or content, while ‘what’ helps introduce indirect or reported speech within those clauses.
3. Understanding the Structure of ‘What’ in this Context
‘What’ in this sentence functions as a pronoun that means ‘the thing(s) that’. It refers to the thing that people are thinking, in this case, incorrect ideas. When combined with ‘that’, the structure is a common way of forming sentences that convey ideas or thoughts indirectly. In this case, ‘what’ is used to specify the subject of the clause: ‘what many people think’.
4. Why This Structure Might Seem Confusing
The order might seem odd because we tend to expect that ‘what’ would be followed by the verb or subject it refers to. However, in this construction, the conjunction ‘that’ introduces the clause before ‘what’, making the sentence more formal and structured. This is a common grammatical structure used in English to link ideas clearly.
5. Conclusion: Sentence Structure in English
Understanding sentence structure in English, especially with complex noun clauses, can be tricky. In the case of ‘New information about diet shows us that what many people think is incorrect’, the use of ‘that’ and ‘what’ is grammatically sound. It’s important to recognize how ‘that’ is used to introduce a noun clause, and how ‘what’ introduces a specific idea or thing within that clause. With practice, this structure becomes easier to understand and use correctly.
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