I think that when you see the sky ...

[kadioguy]

[My sentence]
I think that when you see the sky getting gloomy, you had better take an umbrella with you.
----
Is "that" redundant here? I know that a wh-clause can be used as a noun clause on its own, but I'm not sure in this case.

 

[5jj]

You can omit 'that'.

 

[kadioguy]

You can omit 'that'.

So either one is okay, right?

 

[tedmc]

I think it's more natural without "that".
"I think that" doesn't sound natural to me.

 

[5jj]

I think (that) the sentence flows better with the 'that'.

It's a matter of personal preference.

 

[Rover_KE]

So either one is okay, right?

Right.

 

[emsr2d2]

I would use "that". Without it, there's a danger of the reader interpreting the opening few words as "I think when you see the sky getting gloomy", meaning that you start thinking only when you see a gloomy sky!

 

[Tarheel]

So either one is okay, right?

Either one? I only see one sentence, and there is no place to put an extra "that". (I've looked three or four times.)

 

[kadioguy]

Either one? I only see one sentence, and there is no place to put an extra "that". (I've looked three or four times.)

I meant this:

a. I think that when you see the sky getting gloomy ...
b. I think [no "that" here] when you see the sky getting gloomy ...

 

[Tarheel]

I meant this:

a. I think that when you see the sky getting gloomy ...
b. I think [no "that" here] when you see the sky getting gloomy ...

OK. I agree with everybody who says you need "that" there.

 

[tedmc]

What about putting a comma (in writing) /pause (in speech)?

I think, when you see the sky getting gloomy, you had better take an umbrella with you.