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I have the following sentences here which is the correct one.

  1. I would like to inform you that the departure timing has been changed.

  2. I would like to inform you the departure timing has changed.

  3. I would like to inform you that departure timing has changed.

And why? When should I use that and the?

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First of all, "departure timing" isn't the common phrase, it's "departure time". "has changed" means that it's not the same as was before, I'd recommend "has been changed" or "was changed" to stress that somebody changed it.

"that" is a conjunction here. It introduces a subordinate clause "the departure timing has changed."

"the" is a definite article that makes something definite, distinct. "Departure time" of a certain train or aircraft should be a definite one, so "the" is necessary. If the departure time of all trains or airplanes was changed then "the" may be omitted.

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  • When you down-vote, please, include your comment. – SovereignSun May 31 '17 at 12:41
  • While I agree that comments can be helpful, downvoters are under no obligation to leave one – anonymous downvoting is a right. Also, I notice that you often dish out a lot of questionable advice in many of your answers. (There are a couple things in this answer I disagree with, but I don’t have time to delve into them here.) – J.R.♦ Jun 1 '17 at 10:34
  • @J.R. Of course, for you as a native Speaker it's not interesting to know where your mistakes are. However, I always wish to know when I'm wrong and when I am right! – SovereignSun Jun 1 '17 at 10:49
  • I’ll say one thing – you should avoid making sweeping generalizations and declaring that anything that doesn’t fall under that umbrella must be “incorrect.” Only pedants think like that, and such lines of reasoning are a good way to attract deserving downvotes. “You can’t start a subordinate clause without a conjunction” – says who? Have a read through the answer and some of the comments here for some opposing opinions from real experts. – J.R.♦ Jun 1 '17 at 11:33
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    or "time of departure" – Strawberry Jun 1 '17 at 12:22

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