1

"Same motive. Same will. That was all we needed to work together."

I wanted this to be more of a casual sentence so I skipped adding 'the' before 'same.'

But I'm not sure if the second part, "That was all we needed," has to be written as "they were all we needed." I think it's ugly.

Improve this question
2
  • Regardless of its "true" correctness, it is a perfectly natural way to say the sentence in common speech. Are you writing a movie? a play? a book? a memoir? Is the character a Yale graduate? an English teacher? a deckhand? Are they speaking over dinner? at an awards ceremony? in a bar? These will all determine if the sentence is okay.
    – randomhead
    Commented Jun 22, 2021 at 19:49
  • "Questions asking for someone to find and correct errors or improve the phrasing are considered requests for proofreading and are off-topic. Please edit your question to focus on something in particular that you are unsure about; if that's not possible, see websites for proofreading instead."
    – gotube ♦
    Commented Jun 22, 2021 at 23:21

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
0

I suspect this question will be closed because it will be viewed as a matter of taste and therefore of opinion.

I want to point out, however, that the two choices have slightly different meanings. “That” focuses on the identity of motive and will between two or more people; it is singular. “They” focuses on the dual nature of the mutual agreement. So choose whichever best suits your intended meaning.

Improve this answer

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .