Grammar Rules When to Use Which or That

Who and sometimes that refer to people. Heres an easy way to remember the difference between that and which.


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If the clause is essential to the meaning of the sentence you use that If you could drop the clause and leave the meaning of the sentence intact use which For example.

. If you dont use a comma use that. Actually we could very well argue that which refers to inanimate objects and plants and these things are incapable of possessing anything so in this case which does not have a possessive case. Use that before a restrictive necessary clause.

Use that or which for things. The building that has a green roof is for sale. We use it as a determiner a demonstrative pronoun and a relative pronoun.

Its a popular grammar question and most folks want a quick rule of thumb so they can get it right. The man who lost his wife in death is very depressed now. Anya is the one who rescued the bird.

Pretty easy to remember isnt it. Use that for things and informally for people. The easiest way to understand the difference is with examples.

The carpet which you bought has moth damage. Advertisement Interrogative Pronouns Both who and which are also interrogative pronouns which means that you can use them to ask questions. She held out her hand which Rob shook.

The resources below break down the grammar rules associated with that and which and describes when to use each one. Generally that can be used in clauses referring to people groups or things. Luckily theres an easy way to remember whether to use that or which.

A familiar example is Which came firstthe chicken or the egg. Whom is also used by some people but is considered by many to be too formal. If the sentence doesnt need the clause that the word in question is connecting use which.

She belongs to a great organization which specializes in saving endangered species. If you use a comma to describe an object use which. For instance the answer to the question above is Aretha Franklin.

That is used to indicate a specific object item person condition etc while which is used to add information to. These two words are often misused even by writers. The relative clause here is italicized.

This clause is actually qualifying the noun man and that noun is a person. If not odds are its restrictive so use that. Both serve a similar purpose but the meaning of the sentence can change depending on which one you use.

A quick trick for remembering this grammar rule is the phrase I needed that Which. We use which when it sits within a dependent or parenthetical clause and we use that when its an in a dependent clause and is an integral part of the sentence. If removing the words that follow would change the meaning.

The Man That Got Away is a great song with a grammatical title. In recent years who often replaces whom. If the relative clause contains information that is not essential to the meaning of the sentence and is also preceded by a comma a dash or parenthesis its probably nonrestrictive so use which.

This is the table the main clause I bought the relative clause which the relative pronoun joining the two clauses. A relative pronoun introduces a relative clause. Lokua is on the team that won first place.

Which for its subjective case. This is the table which I bought. Use which before a nonrestrictive unnecessary clause.

The Easy Way to Remember the Difference Between That and Which I Needed That If you need the clause to maintain a sentences meaning then use that. From English Grammar Today That is a very common word in both writing and speaking. If it does use that.

Which and that for things. Which depends upon whether the following clause is restrictive or non-restrictive. Confusion over the use of which and that is not something that you should be ashamed of.

It always refers to a person. Which can serve as the subject of a question too. Nonrestrictive relative clauses can be introduced by which whose who or whom but you should never use that to introduce them.

Whenever you have more than one that or which in a sentence see if you can rewrite it in a way that removes at least one that or which. A restrictive clause means that. The relative pronouns in English are who which that and whose.

Using which without a comma is unpopular especially in the US. Which for its objective case. If you leave out this type of clause the result is a sentence that.

Hence who is used not which or that 2. A list of contents would have made it easier to steer through the book which also lacks a map. Which identifies a noun in a non-essential way while that identifies a noun in an essential way.

Using Which That and Who Use which for things and who for people. That Which and that are both relative pronouns that connect a clause or phrase to a noun or pronoun usually an object or an animal. A carpet is a thing so which is correct.

Pop Quiz Choose whether that or which is correct for each sentence. The clause that comes after the word which or that is the determining factor in deciding which one to use. We also use it as a.

In the past who was not used as an object except in casual writing and speech. When trying to decide if you should use that or which look at the commas. For persons use who or whom.

However they function in slightly different ways. The battle over whether to use which or that is one many people struggle to get right. The standard rule of grammar is that the usage of that vs.

Search on for man that robbed Fall River gas station with gun. The content that follows that is essential to the overall sentiment. That and which refer to groups or things.

Whether to use that and which depends on whether the clause it introduces is restrictive or non-restrictive. Which - English Grammar Today - a reference to written and spoken English grammar and usage - Cambridge Dictionary. If so place the commas in the correct location in the sentence.

The school that burned down last week is still smoking. Whose for its possessive case. This post will shed light on when and how to use these terms.

Then determine whether the sentence should contain commas.


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