Wordplay©
Grammar clinic
Common mistakes in English grammar,
and the simple rules that will keep you on track.
Common mistakes in English grammar,
and the simple rules that will keep you on track.
“Which” is used to when the description refers to the ‘whole’ of what is being described.
So:
Jayne likes shoes that are expensive.
Because the thing being described is “shoes”. And expensive shoes form only a percentage of the whole category of “shoes”
Holly likes stargazer lilies, which are sweetly fragranced.
Because the thing being described is “stargazer lilies”, and all stargazer lilies are fragranced. Note the need for a comma in this statement.
In day-to-day use of English, “which” and “that” are used almost interchangeably.
So our rule of thumb is, when in doubt, use “that”.
