Use which or that in a sentence

Eliminating the relative clause that begins with "which" does take out information, but not knowing that information doesn't affect our understanding of the sentence itself; the clause simply provides more detail about the words it modifies. Also keep in mind that you don't necessarily always use a comma when using "which", so keep your sentence structures in mind! I agree with Rebecca and resound with her conclusion that even though it seems random, that and which are consistent in sentences.

Simply, if you are doubting the use of that or which Get a free answer to a quick problem. Most questions answered within 4 hours. Choose an expert and meet online.

No packages or subscriptions, pay only for the time you need. English Grammar Writing. Someone please tell me the difference between which and that. Add comment. Let me give you two examples to explain the correct usage of "which" and "that.

We recently installed new siding on our house, which was flooded last month. I returned the book that I bought last night. Report 11d. Do you sometimes wonder whether to use that or which in a sentence?

In many cases, in British English, both words are equally correct. This is a clause containing essential information about the noun that comes before it.

If you leave out this type of clause, the meaning of the sentence is affected — indeed, it will probably not make much sense at all. Restrictive relative clauses can be introduced by that, which, whose, who, or whom. The other type of relative clause is known as a non-restrictive relative clause. This kind of clause contains extra information that could be left out of the sentence without affecting the meaning or structure.

The last miles of the bus ride traversed the first three days of the bike tour route after which the tour would turn north and enter the really tough mountain portions of the trek.

Involuntarily listening now to the firing, which had drawn nearer and was increasing in strength, Alpatych hurried to his inn. Prince Andrew was somewhat refreshed by having ridden off the dusty highroad along which the troops were moving.

Which made three times you were broaching the subject of matrimony and I thwarted your attempts. School, which will begin tomorrow, is only a few days from summer recess. The only skin not covered was his face and part of his neck, both of which were channeled and knotted by scars.

There were a lot of tourists in town, probably for the autumn equinox, which drew people from around the world every year. Driving was out of the question as the mid-morning parade, scheduled to begin in a few minutes, was forming on Main Street, which was now closed to traffic.

Sure, Dean thought, I'll put it on the list, right after food, clothing and shelter, all of which were tough enough to fund given Bird Song's present budget. The town of Ouray rests at the boxed-in end of the narrowing Uncompahgre Valley, which spreads from the towering San Juan Mountains in roughly a northwest direction, dropping elevation as the valley gradually widens.

For ten bucks more, she was to cover Ridgway's four hundred citizens in the county's only other town, if you didn't count minuscule Colona, which most people didn't.

Most queries were answered in monosyllables except the last, which Dean put off by explaining they'd discuss the bones at length in the morning. Which maybe it did. They were standing at the first turn which now lighted looked familiar. How could you tell which one contained the bones? Which you then stole. Which meant Darkyn wasn't done with Wynn yet. We are at the bottom now, hated by all, without the resources of power to which we were accustomed.

For which I thank you. You are a deity without a domain or source of power, which means you have nothing I could possibly want, Darkyn said. He circled the small, blonde woman and stopped behind her, gaze on Gabriel's name, which was written across her back, along with the Immortal mating script. They continued, and Deidre's attention went to a small shop behind the tents, from which incense drifted.

She was thinking, which was good. The confidence with which he spoke floored her. They stopped at a wooden door, which the woman flung open. I righted a wrong, which required another wrong of sorts. Elise held out a meal bar, which Lana accepted. Norfolk wants to clean this up and they're looking for direction on which way to lean. They listened to the French sentences which to them were meaningless, with an air of understanding but not wishing to appear to do so.

I used them a lot over the years, not always to the FBI liking which didn't help my career but I found they often work. Martha was unavoidably reassigned hours which included weekends. You care which shirts I pack for you? They didn't go far, for which she was grateful. Her gaze lingered on Katie's face, which Katie knew was pale. Everything comes at a cost, Gabriel, which you know. She tends to take that which she wants.

Neither of which she could afford. She glued her attention on the doe, which was now licking life into her infant. Brady looked from the injured man to the streaks of red in the sky, which were answered by two more streaks to the north. She waited for him to leave then checked her micro, which was still working on decrypting his encoded messages.

The keys were located all over the world, except for four of them, which were based here in the command center. And which part do you like the best? They will recognize your claim, which is enough. What was more important than power, betrayal and revenge, the tenets on which he built his life? But on the road, the highroad along which the troops marched, there was no such freshness even at night or when the road passed through the forest; the dew was imperceptible on the sandy dust churned up more than six inches deep.

Matters of warrants and probable cause escaped his wife's rationale, replaced by her conscience, which stood firmly in charge. The earth beneath him trembled, which he took as a good sign. After a few minutes rest, they continued, first hearing, then seeing the waterfall and the reservoir from which the penstock first drew the water for its mile-long trip to town. All of which is neither here nor there.

The emergency network had not been utilized, which meant that by morning one of the high-ranking men hiding underground would be on the phone to General Greene to complain about the lack of gin. The road edged a thatch of forest past the water treatment plant and the power plant, and circled the central command hub in which she worked before leading to the main entrance of the compound. Brady turned to his team of five, which were gathered around the downed man.

We haven't heard back from them yet to know if there are any survivors, which means we have one team available: yours.

Lana glanced at her micro, which still worked on breaking through his messages. The laser markings matched similar damage seen on the eastern wall, which they found when they circled the compound. The administrator scan, which only the President or Vice President could run, came back with half a dozen errors.

Lana typed a message to Mr. Tim, telling him she was leaving and heading to the Peace Command Center, which was the first center beyond the Mississippi River. Panic spun through her, and she didn't know which she feared more: Greenie finding her or the insurgency. Her head cleared enough for her to see she'd hit one of his arms, which was drenched with blood. The safe required the code from a key fob, which was probably in one of his pockets. Dan leaned back into the hollow of the tree in which they'd taken refuge.

Lana looked up at the bridge, trying to determine which way it was to shore. The nurse smiled again and studied the micro in her hand, which monitored his vitals. Brady didn't care for power, which was why he'd always gotten along with Tim. We'll figure out which route she took and track her. There was no real way to know which route she might've taken. She and the others appeared healthy, which surprised Lana. The meat was well cooked and tender, which made up for the lack of seasonings.

Two of which lead towards known emerops facilities about two to three days out. We're trying to figure out which path she took. My sister always treated me like I was a blight on the family name. She tried to help me in her own way, I guess, which was better than what Rhyn's brothers did to him.

I wanted to believe he could make it in the Immortal world, because if he could, I could, too," she started. Perhaps this had been the evil of which Death spoke. The branch obliged him and passed him upwards to another, which stretched him as far up as it could reach. Then dropped him. Toby yelped as he fell. Another branch caught him and lifted him upwards again. I think I could cut it away. I've tried taking off my shoe and maneuvering my foot every which way. Her guards are gone, which means they're off tracking demons.

Death is unpredictable, but if I were to guess, she's somewhere in the underworld. The sound of something screaming wiped the smile from Deidre's face.

Katie turned to face the direction from which the sound came. It wasn't a bird, and it wasn't human. The single voice was joined by several, and Katie grabbed Deidre's hand. He'd lost Lilith when Rhyn killed her and their son. He'd given up Jade, the man who held his soul, to take Katie as a mate, only to have Rhyn interfere again. Paralyzed by indecision, Kris struggled to determine which Andre would've wanted him to do: save his brother or his mate.

Of the two, Hannah was weaker, but Kiki was his brother. I'll believe it when they fish his body out of the drink, which they won't, 'cause it ain't there. When he returned to the main room, Harrigan had left to talk to a class of grade-school children, a job at which he excelled, much to the pleasure of the others who shunned playing Officer Friendly. One hundred fifty-six Maid Marian Lane was a neatly kept ranch to which a one-car garage had been added.

She rarely combed her hair, owned no more than three or four shapeless dresses, which appeared in all seasons, most of which were stained and wrinkled. Rita wished him a nice flight the next day, pulled on a sweater with a hole through which her elbow protruded, reminded him it was after , and left the office. The living room and kitchen, which faced to the south, provided an exquisite view of the surrounding countryside. The top half, which might have identified the date and the store was missing as if the slip had been torn in two.

Dean had two choices, neither of which was appealing. When Dean returned to Collingswood Avenue, Fred was knee-deep in either his notes or another mystery novel, Dean didn't notice which. His grades were good, which helped. However, the American Psychological Association APA , in its 6th edition Manual, recommends adhering to the rule and use that for all restrictive clauses.

Which can be especially useful where two or more relative clauses are joined by and or or. You may also want to use which to introduce a restrictive clause when the preceding phrase contains a that or a those. The words that and which can also be used together. In doing so, that serves to emphasize the descriptive clause introduced by which.

To improve your chances at properly selecting the right answer between that and which, use this technique:. Share this comparison:. If you read this far, you should follow us:. Diffen LLC, n. Comparison chart That versus Which comparison chart That Which Usage Restrictive clauses Which is used to further specify, identify, or distinguish a particular thing. In the following sentences, the precise meaning is altered if each restrictive clause is removed:.

Find out the difference, here. A nonrestrictive clause, on the other hand, is used to supply additional information that is not essential to understanding the main point of the sentence. Consider this example: The book, which I found at a dusty used bookstore, was a real page-turner. The clause which I found at a dusty used bookstore is nonrestrictive because it adds extra information, almost like an aside. You could delete the details about the bookstore, and the sentence would still make sense.

In this example, which is preceded by a comma; nonrestrictive clauses tend to follow punctuation like a comma, a dash, or parenthesis. Which is only used in restrictive clauses if it is preceded by a preposition. However, the above distinction is a rule of formal American English, and is not as strictly observed in British English or in informal English of any type.