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Guest Posted 23 years ago
Grammar

WHICH /THAT RULE.

IS THEWRE A RULE GOVERNING THE USEAGE OF THE WORDS WHICH AND THAT.

E.G. THE DOG THAT BARKS ALWAYS BITES.

THE ROAD WHICH GOES FROM ROME TO BARI IS ROUGH AND FULL OF HOLES.

I SUSPECT THEY ARE NOT INTERCHANGEABLE, BUT CANNOT FIND A RULE TO FOLLOW.

THANKS.

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Top answer

Strictly speaking: "That" is restrictive: The dog that bites (as opposed to other dogs that don't bite) always barks. "Which" is non-restrictive: The dog, which bites, always barks. (which bites is an aside - extra information about a particular dog, but the sentence would give the full sense intended without it.

— John C.

  • Strictly speaking: "That" is restrictive: The dog that bites (as opposed to other dogs that don't bite) always barks.
  • "Which" is non-restrictive: The dog, which bites, always barks.
  • (which bites is an aside - extra information about a particular dog, but the sentence would give the full sense intended without it.
  • Note that non-restrictive clauses are always set off with commas.
  • However, this rule is largely ignored, because so many writers feel that "which" is a heavier, slower, more emphatic word than "that", and also because in some prose the constant repetition of "that" seems ugly and unnatural.
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1 Answers
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Strictly speaking:

"That" is restrictive: The dog that bites (as opposed to other dogs that don't bite) always barks.

"Which" is non-restrictive: The dog, which bites, always barks. (which bites is an aside - extra information about a particular dog, but the sentence would give the full sense intended without it.

Note that non-restrictive clauses are always set off w
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