I think that the first sentences reads much better because of the additional ‘that’. However a student told me that they don’t think it’s needed, and I couldn’t explain why I thought it was.
What do you think? Would you use a ‘that’ in this sentence? Is there a difference here between British and American English?
The first sentence sounds better to my ears. Even when reading the second sentence, I still insert “that” in my mind. I think it’s because when I reach the “is” part of the sentence, I’m expecting to hear exactly what benefit you’re describing. In the first sentence, “that” acts as a marker to indicate that the rest of the sentence is going to describe the benefit.
I wouldn’t consider either sentence incorrect, but if I were writing formally, I would probably use:
The again, I just know what sounds better to my ears. I’m unsure of the rules behind it all.