How to Use Who Which and That in Sentences

A pronoun is just a word that refers back to a noun such as in these two sentences. I saw the dog which entered the house.

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A familiar example is Which came firstthe chicken or the egg.

. The Man That Got Away is a great song with a grammatical title. Hes the kind of doctor who volunteers at a clinic on his day off The use of that in association with people itself however is well attested as in I dont like the kind of people that. Robert ate an apple.

This widespread habit has led to the mistaken belief that using that in reference to humans is an error. For example in the sentence I like flowers that are red youd use that because if you removed the phrase that are red the meaning of the sentence would change. In recent years who often replaces whom.

He threw the core away. Essentially with which can be used in any type of sentence no matter how simple or complex short or long. Up to 8 cash back Simply put you use that for essential clauses and which for everything else.

The clause that comes after the word which or that is the determining factor in deciding which one to use. Name I dont remember. My daughter is 17.

In this sentence the watch is the object of the verb bought so we dont need to use that or which. My daughter who was born in Venice is 17 In the above sentence who was born in Venice is extra information and can be removed. Use which or that to introduce a restrictive clause and which to introduce a nonrestrictive clause.

In this context who and that are being used as relative pronouns which are used to relate the subject of a sentence or the noun that the sentence is about to its object which is the thing that is acted upon by the subject. It comes down to how the words are used in the sentence. Most writers use that and which as the relative pronouns for inanimate objects and who as the relative pronoun for humans.

Anya is the one who rescued the bird. You see the difference. The answerthe chicken because egg shells form using a protein that exists only in the ovaries of a chickenis a noun a thing.

Restrictive and Unrestrictive Clauses Before we begin you should be warned that its time to put your grammar pants on since were about to dive into the world of restrictive and nonrestrictive clauses. In this sentence the man is the subject of the verb sold so we need to use that or who. Lokua is on the team that won first place.

In a defining clause use that. Whom is always used when it is preceded by quantifiers such as all of both of few of many of several of etc. Who Which Whom What Whose That You are here.

I know its a subtle difference but stick with me. You use who when the pronoun refers to people. Remember the most common uses of the word with are references possession accompaniment or the use of a tool to perform an action.

That and which refer to groups or things. This is the car which Alex wants to buy. The person who you are referring to no longer works here.

In non-defining clauses use which. The person to whom you are referring no longer works here. Whether to use that and which depends on whether the clause it introduces is restrictive or non-restrictive.

That What Which 2. A restrictive clause means that. She addressed the spectators most of whom remained seated.

That introduces essential clauses and which introduces nonessential clauses. These relative pronouns are being used to refer back to a person or thing that was previously mentioned. She belongs to a great organization which specializes in saving endangered species.

Who and sometimes that refer to people. What is important is that you use the words with and which properly. Comas are for extra information.

The school that burned down last week is still smoking. Many find it harder to use who or which as. Using Which Using Who Using Where Using Which Which refers to objects animals and things.

1 she said made me angry. Ive repaired the chair which was broken last week. Our yard that has the big rose bushes could use a good mowing.

She has acted in a movie. 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. Here are two examples.

Home Pronouns Who Which Whom What Whose That Who Which Whom What Whose That October 19 2017 - Fill in the blanks with an appropriate relative pronoun. You may be asking whether there are any rules guiding when to use the word that and when to use the word which. Use comas before who and which when the clause can be taken out without changing the meaning of the sentence.

The answer is yes. If you can remove the clause without destroying the meaning of the sentence the clause is nonessential and you can. We cannot omit which and that when the pronoun refers to the subject of the sentence.

This topic is explored more thoroughly in. It was the man that sold me the car. Our yard which has the big rose bushes could use a good mowing.

Remember which is as disposable as a sandwich bag. Even though the previous sentence is technically correct its usually best to maintain a distinction between people and not-people by using who in reference to a type of person. The resources below break down the grammar rules associated with that and which and describes when to use each one.

Alternatively if the phrase is just adding information to the sentence as in That car which is red is mine youd use which because removing the phrase which is red wouldnt change the meaning. Both serve a similar purpose but the meaning of the sentence can change depending on which one you use. Mary bought the top hybrid car which will help her save on gas.

Which what whose 3. Part 1 Choosing Between That and Who Download Article 1 Pick who or whom for people. Which can serve as the subject of a question too.

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