RT6: The Hidden "to" and the Hidden "that"

This is the last of the six Reduction Transformations. RT6 covers two small connecting words English quietly deletes: the to before a verb (after make, let, see, hear) and the that before a clause (after say, believe, announce). Restoring them shows where one structure ends and the next begins. After this post you'll hold the complete RT toolkit, and we'll review all six together.

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1. What RT6 deletes

Unlike the deleted-be family (RT2, RT4, RT5), RT6 deletes one of two small connecting words:

• the word to (before a verb), or
• the word that (before a clause).

Which one gets deleted depends on the first verb in the sentence. So RT6 has two cases, and we'll learn each separately. Both are about connectors: small linking words that get squeezed out, leaving structures sitting next to each other with no visible link.

Quick recap: RT6 deletes a small connecting word: either to (before a verb) or that (before a clause). Which one depends on the first verb. Two cases to learn.

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2. Case A: the deleted "to"

After certain verbs, the to of a following infinitive disappears. Watch:

• She made him leave. → the deep relationship is She made him [to] leave.
• I heard her sing. → I heard her [to] sing.
• They let us go. → They let us [to] go.

After these verbs, the second verb appears as a bare verb (no to), but underneath, there's a hidden to relationship.

Which verbs delete the "to"?

Two groups of verbs do this:

Causative verbs (verbs of making/letting something happen): make, have, let, help

• She made him leave. / They had the technician fix it. / He let us go. / We helped them finish.

Perception verbs (verbs of seeing/hearing): see, hear, watch, notice, feel

• I saw her cross the street. / We heard them argue. / She watched the sun set.

A few more: would rather, had better also take a bare verb.

How to spot Case A: the "V + NP + V" pattern

The signal for Case A is a pattern of verb + noun phrase + verb, where the second verb is bare (no to):

• She made (V) him (NP) leave (V) → V + NP + V
• I heard (V) her (NP) sing (V) → V + NP + V

When you see this V + NP + V pattern with a causative or perception verb first, recognize the hidden to.

Worth repeating: Case A deletes to after causative verbs (make, have, let, help) and perception verbs (see, hear, watch, notice). The signal is V + NP + V with a bare second verb: She made him leave (= made him [to] leave).

Proof that the "to" is really there: the passive

Here's a neat proof. When you turn these into the passive (Reading Time and Voice Off the Page: The Tense Matrix), the to reappears!

• Active: She made him leave. (no to)
• Passive: He was made to leave. (the to comes back!)

So the to really was there underneath, the passive forces it to resurface. This confirms RT6 Case A is a genuine deletion.

Lock this in: Proof the to is real: in the passive, it reappears. She made him leave (active, no to) → He was made TO leave (passive, to returns).

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3. Case B: the deleted "that"

After reporting and belief verbs, the connecting word that is often deleted before the clause it introduces:

• They said the plan had failed. → They said [that] the plan had failed.
• She believed the team was ready. → She believed [that] the team was ready.
• The guide explained the road was closed. → The guide explained [that] the road was closed.

The word that introduces the "content clause" (what was said/believed), and it's frequently dropped, especially in everyday English.

Which verbs delete the "that"?

Verbs of reporting, thinking, and explaining: say, tell, think, believe, know, hope, suggest, claim, announce, explain, report, decide, feel, notice.

• She announced the results were ready. → that deleted
• They believed the report was false. → that deleted
• He thinks you are right. → that deleted

How to spot Case B

The signal for Case B is a reporting verb followed directly by a clause (a new subject + verb) with no that between them:

• They said [the plan] [had failed] → reporting verb said + a clause, no that

When you see a reporting/belief verb followed directly by a new subject-and-verb, recognize the hidden that.

A quick reminder: Case B deletes that after reporting/belief verbs (say, tell, think, believe, announce, explain). The signal is a reporting verb followed directly by a clause: They said the plan had failed (= said [that] the plan had failed).

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4. Why restoring the connector helps

You might wonder: if English drops that so naturally, why bother restoring it? Because in long sentences, the missing that can blur where the reported clause begins, causing a momentary misreading. Watch:

The manager told the staff the targets had changed.

For a split second, you might read the staff the targets as a confusing string ("the staff the targets"?). Restoring that clarifies it instantly:

The manager told the staff [that] the targets had changed.

Now it's clear: the manager told the staff + the reported clause [that] the targets had changed. The that marks exactly where the reported clause starts.

So restoring the hidden connector, to or that, makes the structure unambiguous, which is the whole point of the RT skill.

Say it again: Restoring the connector clarifies long sentences. The manager told the staff the targets had changed → ...told the staff [that] the targets had changed. The restored that marks where the reported clause begins.

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5. The procedure for RT6

1. Find the first verb and check its type:
   • causative/perception (make, let, see, hear...) → suspect Case A (deleted to)
   • reporting/belief (say, think, believe, announce...) → suspect Case B (deleted that)
2. Check the pattern:
   • V + NP + bare verb → Case A
   • reporting verb + a clause with no that → Case B
3. Restore the connector: insert to (Case A) or that (Case B).
4. Read the now-clear structure.

Worked example (Case A)

The teacher had the students rewrite the essay.

• First verb: had, a causative verb → suspect Case A.
• Pattern: had (V) + the students (NP) + rewrite (V, bare) → V + NP + V → Case A confirmed.
• Restore: The teacher had the students [to] rewrite the essay.

Worked example (Case B)

The committee announced the policy would change.

• First verb: announced, a reporting verb → suspect Case B.
• Pattern: announced + a clause (the policy would change) with no that → Case B confirmed.
• Restore: The committee announced [that] the policy would change.

Hold onto this: RT6 procedure: find the first verb → causative/perception = Case A (restore to); reporting/belief = Case B (restore that) → insert the connector → read. The teacher had the students rewrite → ...had the students [to] rewrite.

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6. The complete RT toolkit, a combined review

You now know ALL SIX Reduction Transformations! Here's the complete map for quick reference:

The master habit for all six: when a sentence seems to break the normal formula, suspect a deletion, identify which RT, and restore the missing words. And remember, RT2 is the most common and the conceptual key (its deleted-be logic underlies RT4 and RT5 too).

One more time: The six RTs: RT1 (relative marker), RT2 (marker + be, after a noun), RT3 (hidden if), RT4 (subject + be, after a linker), RT5 (connector + subject + be, at the edge), RT6 (to or that). Master habit: sentence breaks the formula → suspect deletion → identify the RT → restore.

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7. How this fits the whole method

RT6 ties together earlier topics.

From Two Verbs Together: -ing or "to"? (Gerund vs. Infinitive) (the verb + object + verb frame) and How Verbs Choose What Comes After Them (Verb Valency) (valency): Case A is exactly the causative/perception pattern where a verb takes an object + a bare second verb. From Telling What Someone Said: Reported Speech (reported speech): Case B is the deletable that we previewed in reported speech (She said [that]...). So RT6 isn't new: it's structures you already met, now seen as deletions to restore.

And RT6 completes the deletion-and-restoration skill that started all the way back with ellipsis (Joining Equal Pieces: Coordination, Parallelism, and Deletion). You now have the full set: six named patterns of deletion, each with a restoration. That's the complete toolkit for reading the densest English.

Check yourself: RT6 connects to the verb+object+verb frame (Two Verbs Together: -ing or "to"? (Gerund vs. Infinitive)) and the deletable that of reported speech (Telling What Someone Said: Reported Speech). It completes the deletion-and-restoration skill that began with ellipsis (Joining Equal Pieces: Coordination, Parallelism, and Deletion). You now have all six RTs.

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8. Try a few now

Try each yourself first, then check the answers.

Exercise A, Restore the connector (Case A: "to" or Case B: "that")

1. She made him leave.
2. They said the plan had failed.
3. I heard her sing.
4. The committee announced the policy would change.
5. The teacher had the students rewrite the essay.

Exercise B: Case A or Case B?

For each, decide: Case A (deleted to) or Case B (deleted that).

1. We helped them finish the task.
2. She believed the report was false.
3. They let us go.
4. The guide explained the road was closed.

Exercise C, Prove the "to" with the passive

Rewrite as a passive to show the to reappears.

1. She made him leave. → He was ___.
2. They saw her enter. → She was ___.

Exercise D, Combined RT review: identify the RT type

Name the RT (RT1–RT6) for each.

1. The results obtained from the experiment were significant.
2. Had he arrived earlier, he would have seen her.
3. While preparing dinner, she burned her hand.
4. She let him use her computer.
5. They announced the factory would close.
6. Although disappointed, the team kept working.
7. The book I read was helpful.

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Answers (try first, then check!)

Exercise A, Restore the connector:

1. She made him [to] leave. (Case A)
2. They said [that] the plan had failed. (Case B)
3. I heard her [to] sing. (Case A)
4. The committee announced [that] the policy would change. (Case B)
5. The teacher had the students [to] rewrite the essay. (Case A)

Exercise B: Case A or Case B?

1. Case A (helped, causation/assistance → deleted to)
2. Case B (believed, belief verb → deleted that)
3. Case A (let, causative → deleted to)
4. Case B (explained, reporting verb → deleted that)

Exercise C, Prove the "to" with the passive:

1. He was made to leave. (the to reappears!)
2. She was seen to enter. (the to reappears!)

Exercise D, Combined RT review:

1. RT2 (obtained after the noun results = reduced relative)
2. RT3 (Had + subject = hidden if)
3. RT5 (fronted -ing preparing at the edge)
4. RT6 (Case A, let + bare verb use = deleted to)
5. RT6 (Case B, announced + clause = deleted that)
6. RT4 (linker Although + too-short disappointed)
7. RT1 (two NPs the book + I side by side = deleted relative marker)

How did you do? Exercise D is the big one, identifying all six RT types in a mixed set is the ultimate test of this whole section. If you got most of them, you've mastered the complete Reduction Transformation system. That's a remarkable achievement.

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9. What to take from this

1. RT6 deletes a small connector: to (Case A) or that (Case B).

2. Case A (deleted to): after causative verbs (make, have, let, help) and perception verbs (see, hear, watch, notice). Signal: V + NP + bare verb (She made him leave = made him [to] leave). Proof: the to reappears in the passive (He was made to leave).

3. Case B (deleted that): after reporting/belief verbs (say, think, believe, announce, explain). Signal: reporting verb + a clause with no that (They said the plan had failed = said [that]...).

4. Restoring the connector clarifies long sentences (especially marking where a reported clause begins).

5. You now have all six RTs. Master habit: sentence breaks the formula → suspect deletion → identify the RT → restore the missing words.

6. RT2 is the most common and the conceptual key, its deleted-be logic underlies RT4 and RT5.

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10. Before the next post

Congratulations; you've now completed the entire Reduction Transformations system (The Master Secret: How English Hides Words (and How You Restore Them) through RT6: The Hidden "to" and the Hidden "that")! All six patterns of deletion, each with its restoration. This is the most powerful skill in the whole method: it's what turns dense, intimidating academic, scientific, and legal English into something you can calmly take apart and understand. The hardest English in the world now has a key, and you hold it.

In When a Sentence Has Two Structures: Ambiguity, we begin the final section, Synthesis and Mastery. We'll start with structural ambiguity, sentences that genuinely have two possible structures (like "I saw the man with the telescope"), and how to recognize and resolve them. From here on, we're combining everything into true mastery.

When you're ready, When a Sentence Has Two Structures: Ambiguity opens the final section. First, find a dense sentence somewhere and identify which reductions it uses.