7.89 nominal use of 'that'-clauses

'That'-clauses can be used as complements after 'be' to refer to a fact or idea. The subject is usually one of the nouns listed in paragraph 7.84.

• The fact is that a happy person makes a better worker.
• The answer is simply that they are interested in doing it.
• The most favoured explanation was that he was finally getting tired.
• Our hope is that this time all parties will cooperate.

7.90

In formal English, 'that'-clauses are sometimes used as the subject of a verb, when people want to comment on a fact.

• That I write with a bias is natural.
• That man can aspire to and achieve goodness is evident through all of history.

In less formal English, 'the fact' plus a 'that'-clause is often used as a subject instead of a simple 'that'-clause.

• The fact that what they are doing is illegal is a trivial irrelevance.
• The fact that your boss is actually offering to do your job for you should certainly prompt you to question his motives.

The normal way of commenting on a fact is to use an impersonal 'it' structure. See paragraph 7.88.

7.91

People also use 'the fact' plus a 'that'-clause as the object of prepositions and of verbs which cannot be followed by a simple 'that'-clause.

• ...acknowledgement of the fact that we have no intrinsic right to receive answers to all our questions.
• We overlooked the fact that the children's emotional development had been retarded.