Which, that and who. These are pronouns that are often confused.
We aren’t talking about sentences like these:
- Which of these toys are yours?
- That book is mine
- Who is that girl?
We’re talking about sentences like these:
- I am taking the flight that leaves at midnight.
- My boss, who is a great athlete, plays tennis every day.
- That green dress, which was on sale, matches my eyes.
In the second list of sentences, that, which, and who function as a special type of pronoun (relative pronoun). These pronouns begin clauses (groups of words with a subject and a verb) that generally describe a noun.
- (I am taking the flight) that leaves at midnight – describes flight.
- (My boss) who is a great athlete – describes boss.
- (That green dress) which was on sale – describes dress.
Some of the “rules” pertaining to that, which, and who are pretty black and white; others are grayer.
Black and white:
- Which and that are used for things and animals.
- Who is used for people and animals with names.
- Which is used for nonessential, or nonrestrictive, clauses; that is used for essential, or restrictive, clauses.
- Commas are used around nonessential clauses (which).
Gray:
- Sometimes you can leave out that. When?
- Sometimes you can use that with people. When?
Rule #1 Black and White: Use which for nonessential (nonrestrictive) clauses and that with essential (restrictive) clauses.
A nonessential (nonrestrictive) clause is added information that does not affect the meaning of the sentence. These clauses begin with which (or who) and are enclosed in commas. An essential, or restrictive, clause is necessary to the meaning of the sentence and begins with that without any commas.
- My twin sister, who is good at math, helps me with homework all the time. You don’t really need the words inside the comma. We already know we are talking about your twin sister, of whom there is only one.
- My sister who is good at math helps me with homework all the time. Here, the lack of commas implies that you might have more than one sister, and we are talking about the sister who is good in math. The clause is essential, or restrictive, here. You are defining which sister you are talking about.
- The Hobbit, which I have read three times, is also a movie. Here, the fact that you have read it three times is extra information and not necessary to the meaning of the sentence.
- The book that is on the front desk is mine. Here, you need the clause that is on the front desk to identify the book you are talking about. It restricts the book to the one on the front desk.
Rule #2 Black and White: Use that and which for things, and who for people and animals with names.
- The girl who always sits in the back of the room is my best friend.
- The cat that is sitting on the ledge belongs to my neighbor.
- Moe, who is my bulldog, is four years old.
- That dog, which is a chihuahua, has been at the shelter for months. (Actually this is kind of gray. No one will mind if you call this dog a who.)
Shades of Gray
Sometimes you can leave that out of your essential (restrictive) clause:
1.Usually after a form of the verb say: He said (that) he was going to Europe.
But you can’t do that if there is a time difference between now and when it was said:
- The teacher said on Wednesday we will have a test. You need that.
Does this mean
- The teacher said that on Wednesday we will have a test.
- The teacher said on Wednesday that we will have a test.
When you put that in, whichever one you mean becomes clear. Without that, it is ambiguous.
2. That is usually good to use after certain verbs including (but not limited to) declare, estimate, contend, point out, propose, state:
- I declare that there is a problem.
- I estimate that the chair is four feet wide.
- She contends that she was here early.
- I would like to point out that you have chores to do.
- She proposed that a new rule be adopted.
- He stated that he did nothing wrong.
3. It is usually wise to use that before clauses that start with words like after, before, until, and while:
- She said that after they are finished, they will meet us.
- I know that before dinner she had been out shopping.
- She said that until she was in third grade she couldn’t read.
- He thought that while the game was on, he could take a nap.
Remember that it is always correct to leave that in. So when in doubt, use it.
Another Shade of Gray
Usually we use who for people. If you are talking about a type of people or an organization, you generally use that (or which). However, if you are really referring to the people inside the organization, you can use who.
- The tribes that are native to this area are listed here.
- The School Board that was just elected will meet tonight.
- The School Board, who has helped us out with our fundraisers many times, is here tonight.
A Final Thought
That doesn’t have a possessive, so weird as it might sound, use whose with people and things:
- The desk, whose drawers are missing, is being donated to the school.
- The dog, whose litter mates have all been adopted, needs a good home.
Grammar Diva News
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Yes, agreed, I actually tried to rephrase some of this for my Facebook page ‘Lightbooks’ regarding restrictive or ‘defining’ (as you know I prefer), and came a bit unstuck, again! English is a tricky language! I woder if the Danish, French and Germans (and no doubt others) have the same sort of ‘control’ they have over language with their various ‘academies’?
Does anyone have control over the language?? English is tricky, and this week, I may try to talk about appositives….more confusion.
A very comprehensive overview thanks Arlene. I have a couple of suggestions.
Most authors have the greatest difficulty with the use of ‘which’ and ‘that’ in terms of restrictiveness. I find it useful to say that (a) any ‘defining’ clause, in which the subject is being defined, must use ‘that’.: Fowler gave me that useful and highly workable insight. And (b), any subclause using ‘which’ should always have commas around it. This simple key seems to work.
The use of ‘whose’ (your final thought) as in “The desk, whose drawers are missing, is being donated to the school” still grates terribly with me as it seems to imply that the desk is human (something out of ‘The Wall’ :-)). I generally change this to “The desk, the drawers of which are missing, is being donated to the school”; seems clumsy so the monster desks seem to be prevailing.
Thank you for the comment and for the suggestions. It is difficult sometimes to figure out what is restrictive and what is not.
Thanks Arlene! Very useful information that will stick . Correct use of ‘that’ :).
Keep up the good work!
Thank you so much!
“That” needs to be italicized in two places. Can you find them? (My computer won’t let me italicize here.)
I am sure I can find them. I am making an excuse for myself this week – and my post got less proofing than usual – because I am slammed with work and guests coming and meetings. I don’t claim to be perfect; I am happy as long as I got the information across.
I am back, and I did not find any occurrences of “that” that I wanted to italicize and didn’t.
Good post! Just one thing: I believe you can also use “that” for people in essential or restrictive (or “defining”) clauses. For example, “The person that answered the phone was Hungarian”. Whether grammatically correct or not, in spoken English it’s just as common as “The person who answered the phone was Hungarian” (and perhaps even more so, as it sounds a little more conversational and informal).
It is really up or debate. You can do what you want. I think “who” sounds bad in that use — as if the person is not being treated as a human. In fact, sometimes it can indicate one’s feelings about the person. I prefer “who” although you can use “that” if you want.
I’m always grateful to you for your refreshers.
Thanks so much!
Good one, Arlene. This is one that people almost always get wrong… I wish they’d read your Bigwords!
Here’s more grist for your mill (if you haven’t tackled it already): “invite” is a verb but is often misused as a noun.
Keep up the good work!
— Dan Keller
Thanks, Dan! I have not tackled “invite” and no one has ever mentioned it before. But I understand what you are talking about. Thanks for the invite! I probably say it myself, but it is weird. Maybe people get it confused with something like call – Thanks for the call, where call is a verb or a noun? Maybe???? I bet there are other words used like that too.
Hi again Arlene,
I so enjoy your weekly course. Question: in sentence number 3, you use the word “like.” Is that right? Should it be “such as” instead? I remember a 60’s ad campaign, “tastes like a cigarette should” and was always told that “like” was wrong there. The words after, before, until, and while (note Oxford comma there) are not words “like” what you mean, I don’t think. I’d like (haha) some clarification of this. It could well be that I am wrong but I’m sure the Diva will explain it for me.🤔😃
Thank you, Bruce
Okay, Bruce, I went back and checked. Do you mean the sentence that reads something like,” We aren’t talking about sentences like these”? I think I am correct. You could also say “such as,” but I believe like is correct. Here is the deal with “Winston tastes good like a cigarette should.” You use LIKE for a simple comparison, usually followed by a noun. You use AS or AS IF (not sure about SUCH AS ) when what follows is a clause with a noun and a verb ….as a cigarette should. “Winston tastes like a cigarette” would be correct. The problem with my sentence and the cigarette are probably the implied words.
Winston taste good as a cigarette should taste.
We aren’t talking about sentences like these sentences. (I guess that is what I meant)
We aren’t talking about sentence as these sentences are. (?????)
I am going to stop before I confuse us both more.
Hi Arlene. No, sorry I was not clear. The sentence I was referring to was the one that begins “It is usually wise to use that…”. Is “like” used properly there??
Ah! I explained another sentence, but similar issue. Actually, the sentence you are referring to now is even easier. Yes, like is correct because it is a simple comparison – a word like “while.” “a girl like you” “a dress like mine.” You could probably use such as instead, but why?
Arlene, you need to get out there and present all this info. It needs to be shared!
Thanks. You are the second person to tell me that today. Anyone want to be my publicist?????
One question mark is sufficient. Use of excessive question marks and exclamation marks is one of my pet peeves.
…and one of my habits….or shall I say quirks?(?) I am beginning to know how people who have their grammar corrected feel. I am growing increasing annoyed with people who write in comments nitpicking at my typos, etc. I think it would be far more polite to send a private message. Of course, I don’t have to print them, since I decide what comments are made public. I have basically been putting them all up, but I may change that.