he reacted that

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "he reacted that" is not correct and usable in written English.
It seems to be an incomplete expression and lacks clarity in conveying a complete thought or action. Example: "He reacted that he was surprised by the news." (This is still awkward; a better structure is needed.)

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Formal & Business

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

"Everyone was happy getting a 30-, 40-goal scorer, but you knew just the way he reacted that he was excited".

The New York Times - Sports

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

59 human-written examples

But he says that he reacted to that phase by coming back to strong narratives, influenced particularly by his unfashionable love of writing for children:Kids are so interactive, they remind you that theatre is live.

The Economist

He doesn't understand that the Republicans will do anything to defeat him - and he doesn't understand it because he didn't react that way to his mother.

Huffington Post

He reacted to that fall from grace in the kind of risky and brash fashion that has made him one of Britain's longest-running tabloid personalities.

The New York Times

Scratch the surface and it is often summarized "this artist is important because he influenced that artist" and to make it less boring, "this artist is important becasue he reacted against that artist".

Huffington Post

I was trying to get Gary to see it was wrong, but he didn't react that way.

The New York Times - Magazine

"The last time he reacted like that was Beats," Mr. Iovine said.

The New York Times - Tech

The pattern they formed was, to him, one fact, and he reacted to that fact.

The New Yorker

"He reacted to that in effect by saying, 'Never mind — I'm not going to beat my head against the wall.' " Mr. Bush traced a similar arc.

The New York Times

"What he meant by necking down was this: at every stage he was faced with an already-made decision, and he reacted to that already-made decision.

The New York Times - Magazine

There had always been too much food at his family's; I think he reacted against that by never eating enough.

The New Yorker

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Avoid using "he reacted that". Instead, use grammatically correct alternatives such as "he responded that", "he stated that", or "he commented that" to ensure clarity and correctness in your writing.

Common error

The verb "react" is intransitive and does not directly take a "that" clause. Saying "he reacted that..." is grammatically incorrect. Always use a verb like "said", "stated", or "responded" to introduce the clause.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "he reacted that" functions as an attempt to report someone's response. However, it's grammatically questionable, as the verb "react" doesn't typically introduce a "that" clause directly. As Ludwig AI indicates, a better structure is needed.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

33%

Formal & Business

33%

Wiki

33%

Less common in

Science

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "he reacted that" is considered grammatically incorrect in standard English. As pointed out by Ludwig AI, it's better to use alternative phrases such as "he responded that", "he stated that", or "he commented that" to accurately convey someone's reaction or response. While examples of the phrase can be found, their infrequency and the grammatical issues suggest avoiding this construction in formal writing to maintain clarity and correctness. While the limited number of examples come from seemingly authoritative sources like The New York Times, The Guardian and BBC, the proper use of language suggests that alternatives should be used.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

he responded that

Replaces "reacted" with "responded", providing a grammatically correct and common alternative for conveying a verbal response.

he replied that

Replaces "reacted" with "replied", indicating a direct answer to a question or statement.

he stated that

Substitutes "reacted" with "stated", offering a more formal and direct way of indicating what someone said in response.

he commented that

Uses "commented" instead of "reacted", which implies a less intense response, suitable when conveying an opinion or observation.

he indicated that

Employs "indicated" instead of "reacted", suggesting that the response was communicated indirectly, perhaps through tone or gesture.

he noted that

Uses "noted" instead of "reacted", suggesting that someone drew attention to a fact or observation in their response.

he observed that

Similar to "noted", but "observed" implies a more thoughtful or analytical response.

he mentioned that

Replaces "reacted" with "mentioned", indicating that the information was brought up in passing during a conversation.

he confirmed that

Uses "confirmed" instead of "reacted", indicating that the response verified a prior statement or fact.

he affirmed that

Substitutes "reacted" with "affirmed", adding a sense of confirmation or agreement to the response.

FAQs

What is the correct way to use "react" when reporting someone's response?

The verb "react" doesn't directly introduce a clause with "that". Use alternatives like "he responded that", "he said that", or "he commented that" followed by their actual words or a summary.

Is "he reacted to that" grammatically correct?

Yes, "he reacted to that" is grammatically correct. It uses the preposition "to" to link the verb "reacted" to the stimulus. For example, "He reacted to the news with surprise."

What can I say instead of "he reacted that"?

You can use alternatives like "he responded that", "he stated that", or "he replied that" to correctly introduce a reported statement.

Why is "he reacted that" considered grammatically incorrect?

The verb "react" doesn't take a direct "that" clause in standard English grammar. It needs a preposition like "to" or a different verb like "respond" which can correctly introduce a "that" clause.