Quote:
Originally Posted by NewOldGuy
He does. So it's optional.
Except that without the subordinating conjunction there is (formally) nothing linking those clauses. They are separate statements. Of course, I think that the linkage is obvious from context, but without the "that," I'm technically saying two separate things. "I think." "The linkage is obvious from context."
I don't know if this is one of the technical rules of grammar that is falling out of usage in formal writing. It certainly is in spoken English.