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Mitsuo23 Posted 13 years ago
Grammar

"who" or "that"

Hi,

In the sentence below, which word is correct? A textbook that I have says, "who" is wrong, but I still feel it is acceptable.

He is not the good doctor (that/who) he used to be.

Thank you,
M
  

Top answer

mitsuwao23 He is not the good doctor (that/who) he used to be. Who would not be wrong but highly unusual there. I’d expect that or no pronoun at all.

— RandomGuy

  • mitsuwao23 He is not the good doctor (that/who) he used to be.
  • Who would not be wrong but highly unusual there.
  • I’d expect that or no pronoun at all.
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4 Answers
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mitsuwao23He is not the good doctor (that/who) he used to be.
Who would not be wrong but highly unusual there. I’d expect that or no pronoun at all.
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Is that because "the good doctor" in this context refers to a role as a doctor, not a person as a doctor?

Thank you,
M
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mitsuwao23Is that because "the good doctor" in this context refers to a role as a doctor, not a person as a doctor?
I wouldn’t say that. I doubt there is any logical reason for this. It just seems that who is simply unidiomatic there.
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