7 That’s in a Row
Posted by: Josef EssbergerWhat’s the most times you can repeat the same word consecutively in a sentence and still retain meaning? Here’s a sentence with 7 words in a row.
It remains true for all that that that that that that that refers to is not the same that that that that refers to.
Anyone for any more?
Posted by Josef Essberger February 2008
Contributor: Josef Essberger, founder of EnglishClub. Originally from London, England, Josef is the author of several books for learners of English including English Prepositions List and Learn English in 7.29 comments
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Proofreader says:
Shouldn’t the title be 7 Thats in a Row? Or possibly Seven ‘That’s in a Row? The apostrophe does not create a plural!
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Mahk says:
Norman Darlow, it wasn’t just repeated for fun. Each “that” had a purpose and actually makes sense if you can parse it. It did take me a while to do so so it’s not a sentence you would likely ever use since it’s rather confusing. It still does in fact work, though, and isn’t just simple repetition.
“It remains true for all that that that that that that that refers to is not the same that that that that refers to.”
If I’m reading this correctly, each “that” is used as follows (and in this order):
Noun, Conjunction, Determiner, Noun, Pronoun, Determiner, Noun -
Norman Darlow says:
It is always possible to perform this kind of trickery by using the word in question qua word (or repetitions of it, qua phrase), and such instances should properly be enclosed in “quotes”. But in truth this is not much greater an achievement than simple repetition (as in, “Study, study, study is the key to success.”) I would like to see how many times the word “that” (or indeed, any other word) can be repeated in a sentence without resorting to such trickery. I recently posted elsewhere a real sentence including the word “about” three times consecutively, without resorting to such subterfuge. The first is part of a phrasal verb, the second a simple preposition, and the third an approximation, all common uses of the word.
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Man Out Of Time says:
There is a sentence involving a teacher (possibly correcting a student) where the word ‘that’ os repeated at least 6 times. The sentence is/was easy enough to understand (unlike all of the examples above). I just wish I could remember it. 😄
Sorry! -
j money says:
he needs to go four for four, for four fores for four of his boats to be built
8 for,four,fores
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j money says:
He needed to go four for four, for four fore’s to be built!
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John says:
I see this was posted in February 2008! Not sure when the last comment was written but now THAT we’re in the future (Feb 2024) and based on others’ idea of a that referring to another that; I bring you perhaps the ultimate string of thats.
I think that that that, that that that, that that that, that that that, that that that, that that that, that that that, that that that, that that that, that that that, that that that, that that that, that that that, that that that, that that that, that that that, that that that, that that that, that that that, that that that, that that that, that that that, that that that refers to is wrong.
Gotta love recursion, if that’s the right word.
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Ben B says:
You can add another had by renaming John to “Had,” and bringing it to 12 consecutive by rephrasing, also adding 4 unattached “had”s, bringing the final count to 16:
James, while Had had had “had had,” had had “had.” Had “had had” had a better effect on the teacher than “had”, he would have had to have “had had.”
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Oli and Ben says:
The had one (repeated 11 times in a row) is:
James, while John had had “had,” had had “had had.” “Had had” had had a better effect on the teacher.
The “that” one needs some punctuation to make sense really.
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Yeah ok says:
Saw, saw somebody saw a saw, with a saw, that can out-saw any saw, Saw saw
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Anthony West says:
I read somewhere that had can be used 26 times in a row & still be comprehensible
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Mahnoor Khaliq says:
Make a sentence in which “that” uses 5 times in order
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Dr. Daniel D. says:
I have a new record, thanks to Sai (A.K.A. Gandam). He has released a song named That That.
Here we go. 10 ten thats in a row…
Is that “That That” that “That That” that that “That That” song is about?
．．．ｄｏ ｙｏｕ ｇｅｔ ｉｔ？
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Bill Buffer says:
Buffalo is a verb in N.Am English, meaning intimidate or baffle
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Richard Murray says:
Buffalo is not a verb.
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Richard Murray says:
The owner of the Sand and Anderton pub told the signwriter that he had made a mistake in the new sign. He said, “the gaps between the “and” and “and” and “and” and “And” are not the same size.”
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Kori k Swaringen says:
i agree that that that that that that that that can be used in a sentence 8 times it makes sense!!
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John Allen says:
Actually, the word ‘that’ can be repeated eight times in a sentence. As in:
Is, considering all that, that that that that that that that refers to?
As an additional comment, if you want to use ‘that’ seven times in a sentence, perhaps it’s easier to understand as a question than a statement. As in:
Is that that that that that that that refers to?
As you can see, adding the eighth ‘that’ is simply an expansion of this question. I think it works.
Thanks for checking and posting this.
John Allen
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daisy says:
the one about had was on the radio
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Holden says:
Actually, Els, Buffalo can be repeated an infinite number of times, and it has been proven to do so.
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els says:
Buffalo – can be repeated 8 times.
“Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo. -
ESL Blogs says:
Nice one Sha :)))
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Sha Beans says:
In the English exam, John, where James had had ‘had’, had had ‘had had’. ‘Had had’ had had the examiner’s approval.
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princess says:
Hey i want this watch but but i cant but its ok but ……..
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Issy says:
Can I try this? “I know that you know that I know that you know that I know that you know that I know”.
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Kevin says:
It remains true for all that that that that that that that that strongly refers to is wrong.
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Eva says:
I tell my students to say “He also arrived at 13.58” in a different way. The answer is, of course, “He came at two to two, too”.
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Catherine says:
I agree with you that It remains true for all that that that that that that that refers to is not the same that that that that refers to.
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winnie0706 says:
the last sentence is too hard to understand.but i think subject in sentence remain meaning.