on Writing Forward:
There’s a lot of confusion about that and which. These two words are often used interchangeably, even though they’re not necessarily interchangeable.
Historically, that and which may have carried the same meaning, and some English dialects may allow for that and which to be swapped without affecting the meaning of a sentence.
However, in American English, the grammar rules offer a distinct difference between the two words. By the time you’re done reading this post, you’ll fully understand the difference between that and which, and you’ll be able to use both words correctly.
Thanks for sharing this, Chris. I note from the original post that Melisa states there is little difference between “that” and “which in non-American English. This is interesting as I don’t recollect previously having heard this view expressed. In reality I suspect that many readers (perhaps the majority) fail to notice when “which” is used rather than “that”, and, likewise when “that” is utilised in place of “which”. I must confess that I had grammar drummed in to me at school, but some of the rules are a little rusty in my ageing head today!
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After years of working with international colleagues, using English as the ‘common’ language, I’ve lost contact with most of the grammar rules and need all the help I can get 😂
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Grammar Rules: That and which. I needed the refresher on ‘that’ and ‘which’.
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