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THAT vs WHICH
In many cases both words are equally correct.
She held out the hand which was hurt.
She held out the hand that was hurt.
In these sentences, that and which are introducing whats known as an
essential clause.
Essential clauses are necessary to identify the person or thing that is
being described. They are essential to understanding the sentence.
They restrict the meaning to that specific person/thing.
The box that is in the foreground of the picture is a sample box.
(There are other boxes in the picture) Essential clause
Essential clauses can be introduced by that, which , whose, who, or whom.
Non-essential clauses are not essential to the understanding of the
sentence since they merely supply some additional information. They
can be omitted from the sentence without changing the basic meaning.
The box ,which is in the foreground of the picture , is a sample box.
(There is only one box in the picture.) Non-essential clause
Non-essential clauses can be introduced by which, whose, who,
or whom, but you should n ne ev ve er r u us se e T TH HA AT T t to o i in nt tr ro od du uc ce e t th he em m. .
A non-essential clause is p pr re ec ce ed de ed d b by y a a c co om mm ma a (so as to set off the
extra information), whereas no comma should precede a restrictive
clause (indicating that the information is essential, not extra):
I bought a new dress, which I will be wearing to Jo's party.
[non-essential]
I was wearing the dress that I bought to wear to Jo's party.
[essential]
If that has already appeared in a sentence, writers sometimes use
which to introduce the next clause, whether it is essential or
nonessential. This is done to avoid awkward formations.
Example:
That which doesn't kill you makes you stronger.
Instead of That that doesnt kill you makes you stronger
GRAMMAR & VOCABULARY www.aprendeinglesenleganes.com
THAT vs WHICH
TEST
1. Carlos gave Maria a study guide for material ________
was going to be on the test.
2. Carlos gave Maria notes from chapters 3 through 7
_________ were going to be on the test.
3. Mark and Sarah took their children on every vacation
_________ they took to the coast.
4. The teachers gave awards to all paintings ________
showed originality.
5. The tomatoes ______ grow in her garden are unlike those
you buy in a store.
6. The tomatoes from her garden, _____ grew larger than
those in the grocery store, were sweet and ripe.
7. The game ______ intrigues me the most is dominoes.
8. That is a promise ______ cannot be broken.