0
Guest Posted 21 years ago
Grammar

Relative pronoun question

My teacher said that in a sentence beginning with "people ", we should always use "who" as the relatibe pronoun and "that" is not correct. For example, it should be "People who hate to exercise tend to gain weight more easily." ("who" can't be replaced by "that")
Is that true? Under what circumstances should we always use "who" or "that"?
  

Top answer

Your teacher is wrong, wrong and did I mention wrong? Suffice it to say that we use to be more personable, more polite. Since there are obviously times that personable is not required or even needed, you can safely use at those times.

  • Your teacher is wrong, wrong and did I mention wrong?
  • Suffice it to say that we use to be more personable, more polite.
  • Since there are obviously times that personable is not required or even needed, you can safely use at those times.
Free · every Monday

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.

2 Answers
0
Your teacher is wrong, wrong and did I mention wrong? Suffice it to say that we use to be more personable, more polite. Since there are obviously times that personable is not required or even needed, you can safely use at those times.
0
Hello Guest

I'm assuming your question relates to contexts where 'who' is the subject of the relative clause.

1. If the relative pronoun after 'People' begins a non-defining relative clause, you should use 'who':

'People in Britain, who hate to exercise, tend to gain weight more quickly than people in Hong Kong.'

2. If the relative pronoun begins a defining

Related Questions