How to Use “That Is” In a Sentence (Helpful Examples)

Very often, it is the terms and phrases that seem the simplest that end up making you trip up and make mistakes when speaking English. Many people might have questions on how you actually should use “that is” in a sentence, and for that purpose we have written this article.

How to Use “That Is” In a Sentence

The main idiomatic way in which people use “that is” in a sentence is by using it as a synonym for “in other words”. When you say “that is”, you’re letting the person know that you’re slightly rephrasing what you just said to help make it more clear.

Of course, the regular way in which you would use “that is” is to simply use it as a way to describe something that is slightly far away.

But when it comes to the idiom “that is”, it’s a synonym for “in other words” that you can use to add variety to what you speak or say, while making you more understandable.

“That Is” At the Beginning of a Sentence

You can easily slot in “that is” at the beginning of a sentence to ensure that it’s understood by everyone involved. This is an especially good tool to utilize when you have prior context that you want to make clear, and that’s the main use it gets.

If someone uses “that is” at the beginning of a sentence, they are probably explaining something from a previous sentence, the sort of thing that would require further context.

This is because “that is” is used to rephrase concepts and sentences, to restate them in a way that is, presumably, more immediately understandable for your audience.

Therefore, if someone uses “that is” at the beginning of their sentence, it’s probably because there’s prior context that necessitated the explanation in the first place.

Here are a few examples of the ways in which people would add “that is” at the start of a sentence:

1. That is, you won’t be directly helping out with the groundwork, but with the theoretical part.
2. That is, you should be prepared for there to be conflict when we arrive at the hotel lobby.
3. That is, we did not mean any offense by our question, but we apologize for the pain we caused.
4. That is, it’s incredibly doubtful that we will get a 2022 release for it, and we’re preparing for 2024.
5. That is, once the plane lands you will have a lot of free time to do what you need to do over there.

“That Is” In the Middle of a Sentence

Putting “That is” in the middle of a sentence is one of the most common uses of “that is” we can find. You put “that is” in the middle of a sentence to serve as a connector between two ideas that are the same, to rephrase the first idea differently.

This is perhaps the most natural use of “that is” in a sentence, because of the role that “that is” serves as a way to explain previously outlined ideas.

You use “that is” as a way to ensure clarity with your ideas, which naturally lends itself to a structure in which you explain idea A, use “that is”, and rephrase it into idea B.

This is therefore the most common use of “that is”, because it’s the sort of phrase that most people would naturally, without thinking about it, slot in the middle of a sentence anyway.

Here are some example sentences that use “that is” in the middle of their structure:

1. You will be a community manager, that is, you will manage our social media posting.
2. The movie is a dramedy, that is, it’s made up of equal parts drama and comedy.
3. The bag’s price was grotesque, that is, there was no way that she would ever be able to buy it.
4. The two story building had its first floor completed, that is, it was halfway through its construction.
5. The computer’s price had shifted over the past few months, that is, now it was way cheaper.

“That Is” At the End of a Sentence

You put “that is” at the end of a sentence as a way to confirm, at the last possible moment, that the previous two ideas that were linked with a comma or with the word “or” were, in fact, the same concept rephrased in distinct ways.

When you add “that is” to the end of a sentence, it’s usually not something that will change the entire sentence’s format. This is because of the way that we tend to structure these sentences.

A sentence that has “that is” at the end of it probably already makes it clear that its two ideas are the same one, in ways that aren’t necessarily via “that is” at the end.

Here are a few example sentences that contain “that is” at the end of them:

1. She was a movie theater employee at the moment, an usher, that is.
2. He was working on a longform feature film project, a movie, that is.
3. I was going to go to my relaxation spot for some well-needed rest, the park, that is.
4. We had all decided we were going to make a surprise for her, a party, that is.
5. His new game was very similar in tone to classic Agatha Christie novels, a murder mystery, that is.

Comma Rules When Using “That Is”

Unless “that is” is the way that a given sentence ends, you should always add a comma after it. That is, unless a colon follows “that is”, you must use a comma after it. This is in order to distinguish it from the other way we use “that is”.

While it might be confusing at first, the truth is that in all simplicity, you must use “that is” with a comma following it in all cases unless it’s the way a sentence ends.

When you use a comma after “that is”, you’re letting the person know that this use of “that is” is a synonym for “in other words”, and it’s not the other usage.