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Anonymous Posted 17 years ago
Grammar
Which vs. That
In a sentence like this: That was the thing which worried him.
Is 'which' acceptable here? Or, do we necessarily have to say 'that' because it's a restrictive clause? Because the sentence begins with 'that,' it looks weird to add another 'that' preceding 'worried.'
Is it alright to make exceptions in such cases?
Is 'which' acceptable here? Or, do we necessarily have to say 'that' because it's a restrictive clause? Because the sentence begins with 'that,' it looks weird to add another 'that' preceding 'worried.'
Is it alright to make exceptions in such cases?
Top answer
In this case, I think which and that are both possible. According to most grammar books, you can use which and that interchangeably in restrictive clauses, although there are several occasions on which that must be used or when 'that' is preferred. However, I see no reason to support the use of 'that' in this sentence.
- In this case, I think which and that are both possible.
- According to most grammar books, you can use which and that interchangeably in restrictive clauses, although there are several occasions on which that must be used or when 'that' is preferred.
- However, I see no reason to support the use of 'that' in this sentence.
- 'That' is usually preferred in informal speech though.
- You can hear it more often on radio and television, and so perhaps it simply feels more natural to use 'that' instead of 'which'.
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1 Answers
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In this case, I think which and that are both possible. According to most grammar books, you can use which and that interchangeably in restrictive clauses, although there are several occasions on which that must be used or when 'that' is preferred. However, I see no reason to support the use of 'that' in this sentence. 'That' is usually preferred in informal speech though. You can hear it more of
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