Which Vs That With Grammarly

Grammarly Which Vs That

Grammarly helps you check grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors. It can also help you improve your writing style, sentence structure and diction.

Using the app’s ‘Correct’ feature, I checked a sample of my writing for grammar mistakes. Grammarly highlighted the errors and offered suggestions to correct them.

What is Which Vs That?

Which Vs That is a commonly used pronoun that can cause a lot of confusion. It can seem like a simple thing, but if you don’t understand which one to use in certain situations, your writing may look a little off.

That and which are relative pronouns, which means that they connect a noun phrase with a relative clause. The Cambridge Dictionary defines a relative clause as “a dependent phrase that cannot stand alone” and refers to words that add information about a noun, object, person, or situation.

The difference between that and which depends on whether the following clause is a defining or non-defining clause. A defining clause is a type of relative clause that would change the meaning of a sentence if it was removed, while a non-defining clause isn’t necessary to understand the rest of the sentence.

A defining clause is usually set off by a comma, whereas a non-defining clause isn’t typically surrounded by commas. This is an important distinction, since it helps you to remember when you should use which and when you should use that.

Let’s say that you’re talking about a particular bike in your garage. You’re telling us that it has a broken seat, and this is distinguishing it from all of the other bikes in your garage.

You’re also implying that you own more than one bike, so you can’t remove the phrase without changing the sentence’s meaning. Using which indicates that you don’t need to explain this detail.

Which is often used with restrictive clauses, which are essential to a sentence’s meaning. A restrictive clause isn’t usually surrounded by a comma, while a non-restrictive clause is. Those two rules can make the difference between a well-crafted sentence and one that looks unfinished or confusing.

Restrictive Clauses

A restrictive clause modifies the noun it precedes in a way that is crucial to understanding that noun’s meaning. A nonrestrictive clause merely adds information to a sentence that is not essential.

Restrictive clauses are a key part of writing that is often overlooked by many writers and editors, particularly those who are working in a formal environment or who write frequently for business purposes. They are essential for the structure of a sentence and cannot be eliminated without changing its meaning.

Examples of restrictive clauses are a group of children who were begging for water or the workers who built this bridge. These clauses are important for readers to understand and know exactly who is being identified.

This is because they limit or identify the specific nouns that are being modified, making them clear to readers. This is why they are called restrictive clauses.

In American English, we often use that to introduce restrictive clauses and which to introduce nonrestrictive ones. In some cases, you may use that and which interchangeably but in others, you should only use that to introduce a restrictive clause.

Some style guides recommend that you use who rather than that to introduce restrictive clauses. This isn’t a rule of thumb that you need to follow, but it does strike a balance between clarity and brevity.

However, if you’re writing in a less formal context, or for a business audience, it’s probably best to use who when possible. This will make your text more natural and will help your readers understand that you are referring to the exact person you’re describing.

There is one other important distinction between restrictive and nonrestrictive clauses. The latter need commas to separate them from the rest of the sentence. If you’re unsure whether a clause is restrictive or nonrestrictive, check with Grammarly to ensure you’re writing correctly. It’s a free online tool that can check your grammar and save you time.