The word ‘that’ can function as different parts of speech depending on its usage in a sentence. Here are the main roles it can play:
- Demonstrative Pronoun: When ‘that’ is used to point to a specific thing or person, it acts as a demonstrative pronoun. For example, ‘That is my car.’
- Relative Pronoun: ‘That’ can also serve as a relative pronoun, introducing a clause that provides more information about a noun. For example, ‘The book that I read was fascinating.’
- Conjunction: In some cases, ‘that’ functions as a conjunction, connecting two clauses. For example, ‘I know that you are busy.’
- Determiner: When ‘that’ is used to modify a noun, it acts as a determiner. For example, ‘That car is fast.’
Understanding the context in which ‘that’ is used will help you determine its part of speech in a given sentence.