Which creates nonrestrictive clauses, while restrictive clauses are introduced by that.
That with a restrictive clause provides crucial information and clarification, while which with a nonrestrictive clause gives additional nonessential information and background.
Use commas after which, but not after that, except in a parenthetical phrase.
It is crucial to know how to use which and that properly since both have distinct meanings and, accordingly, influence sentences’ meanings.
If the details are crucial to the sentence, use that. If they aren’t crucial, use which.
Which and that are likely to be two words you use a lot. You may not have ever paid a lot of attention to how they differ, however. These two words serve very different purposes in your writing, and sometimes they can be tricky.
Which vs. that: What’s the difference?
The distinction between which and that hinges upon whether or not the clause introduced by
With a restrictive clause, use that.
With a non-restrictive clause, use which
So how are restrictive clauses different from nonrestrictive clauses? The short response is this: A restrictive clause, or essential or defining clause, provides information that’s crucial to the meaning of the sentence. A nonrestrictive clause, also a nonessential clause, gives information that can be useful or interesting but doesn’t affect the meaning of the sentence.
Here’s a quick example of each:
Restrictive: The literature course I must graduate in is available only on Fridays.
Nonrestrictive: The literature course, covering novels by a variety of different writers, is taught only on Fridays.
They are both relative pronouns.
Which, a relative pronoun or a determiner, are words replacing a noun, specifically their antecedent, and connect clauses in a sentence. A determiner refers to a word preceding a noun to specify it. Consider these examples:
Their names, which were listed in alphabetical order, occupied two pages.
Determiner: Which ducks did you see in the pond?
That is a demonstrative pronoun, relative pronoun, adverb, conjunction, or a determiner. A demonstrative pronoun refers to a particular person, a certain place, or a particular thing. An adverb describes another word, phrase, or sentence, usually providing useful information. A conjunction connects clauses or sentences. Here are some examples of that in use:
After visiting the brick house, we decided we wanted to purchase that.
Relative pronoun: The notebook I brought is red.
Adverbial phrase: Was it truly that
Conjunction: They had run so quickly that their shoes became worn out.
Determiner: The cake, which was baked
Restrictive vs. nonrestrictive clauses
A restrictive clause is a clause that limits a noun, and by implication its sentence, in a necessary sense. A nonrestrictive clause is a clause that describes a noun in a non-essential sense.
Let’s define clauses before we proceed any further. A clause refers to a sentence unit with a subject and a predicate. Now, in certain instances, a clause can also be a standalone sentence, or be able to stand by itself. These are called independent clauses. If a clause cannot be a standalone sentence, then it’s a dependent clause.
Restrictive clauses start with that. Nonrestrictive clauses start with which. The following are a few illustrations of each:
Example: My desk lamp is a one-of-a-kind piece of art.
Example: I changed my opinion about cruises after our last October vacation.
It matters because it shows care
Understanding how to use which and that correctly in a sentence makes your text more readable. It makes your intention clearer, which decreases its chances of being misunderstood. This is more crucial in scholarship, business, and officially written texts, where clarity ranks a writer’s top concern.
When to use which in a sentence
Use which in a sentence when it includes a nonessential clause. Nonessential clauses add “flavor” to sentences without changing their core meaning.
Which and nonrestrictive clauses
These introduce nonrestrictive clauses, nonessential information. How can you know whether a clause is nonrestrictive? Remove it from the sentence and see if meaning has been altered. If not, you’re looking at a nonrestrictive clause. Below are a few examples about nonrestrictive clauses using which.
Example: Our blue bicycles, both in good condition for their age.
Example: The library had new books ordered, which had been requested by patrons.
How to punctuate which
When you employ whichto introduce a nonrestrictive clause, it’s always punctuated apart from the rest of the sentence with commas.
Incorrect : The very friendly horse liked to eat carrots.
Correct: The very friendly horse would eat carrots.
Which doesn’t always require a comma, though. Which, when used in any other part of speech besides a nonrestrictive clause, might require other punctuations, or it may not require any punctuations.
Example: I have chocolate and strawberry ice cream—what would you prefer?
Example: They had two plans for compensation: which one do you think they would pick?
Incorrect: Which, package is yours?
Correct: Which package is yours?
Examples of which in sentences
Example: “By three methods we can acquire wisdom: by reflection, which is best; by imitation, which comes easily; by experience, which is bitter.”
Example: Our firm, having never previously received an award, was nominated for Best Tech Startup.
Example: Which song did you pick for your video?
Here’s a tip: If unsure whether a sentence requires that or which, Grammarly can assist. Grammarly proofreads your work to identify errors and make useful suggestions to improve your writing.
When to use that in a sentence
There are numerous ways to use that in a sentence. Here, we’re focused mainly on nonrestrictive and restrictive clauses, but it shouldn’t be forgotten that that is also a demonstrative pronoun, a determiner, a relative pronoun, adverb, or a conjunction. Regardless, that presents essential information that impacts the meaning of the sentence.
That and restrictive clauses
A restrictive clause plays a crucial part in a sentence’s meaning. Use that to introduce a restrictive clause. Some examples of that used in restrictive clauses include:
Example: My bicycle with a damaged seat sits in the garage.
Example: The winning class with the most cans gets a pizza party.
Observe how in these sentences, that limits information or makes sense more precise. If we replaced with which, these sentences would sound very different.
Example: My bike, with its damaged seat, sits in my garage.
Example: The winning class, who collects the most cans, gets a pizza party.
Notice how the first example now makes the broken seat on this bike a minor point, not a justification for why it’s in the garage. Notice how the second example doesn’t make sense any more. That’s because here, the restrictive clause is essential to their meaning.
How to punctuate that
As opposed to nonrestrictive clauses, restrictive clauses are not punctuated by commas. No other punctuation is required when you use thatbefore a restrictive clause.
Nevertheless, when that is applied otherwise, we may need other punctuation. One case in point are sentences in which that presents a parenthetical phrase. A parenthetical phrase refers to a phrase providing information to a sentence without altering the structure of the sentence. It might be set apart by parentheses, commas, or dashes.
Example: The judge reconsidered his initial ruling (that we’d hoped he’d reconsider).
So, how do a parenthetical phrase and a nonrestrictive clause compare? Almost nothing. Functionally, they are essentially one in the same. One distinction is that a parenthetical phrase can be one word or a handful of words, whereas a nonrestrictive clause must have a subject and a predicate.
Whenever you introduce a parenthetical phrase using that, close the phrase with a comma.
Example: The book, which was resting upon the table, belonged to Sarah.
In other cases, that may follow a colon or dash.
Example: We can’t quit now—that wouldn’t be right to the team.
Example: I arranged six settings for dinner at my party; this was how many I was able to accommodate.
Examples of that in sentences
Example: “The music which can deepest reach,
And cure all ill, is cordial speech.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson, The Conduct of Life
Example: “To be bitter is to squander precious moments of a life already too brief.” —H. Jackson Brown Jr., P.S. I Love You
Example: Recall those late night sessions when we would read comic books?
Example: The grasshoppers escaped last night. That can’t happen again.
How to remember when to use which vs. that
Since nonrestrictive clauses contain information you can remove, it’s simple to remember to use which if you consider a piece of paper that a sandwich is wrapped in. The paper can be discarded, and similarly, so can clauses with which.
Use that for non-dispensable clauses. You can also reference this chart in case you are undecided between using that and which as a pronoun.
Common mistakes to avoid with which and that
A prevalent error made by writers is to use which without a comma, like this
Incorrect: Her black dress made her almost invisible in the dark.
Correct: Her dress, which was black, made it difficult to see her in the dark.
A related mistake writers frequently commit is using a comma with that
Incorrect: He lent me a book, that I needed for class.
Correct: He loaned me a book I required for school.
Another frequent mistake is using too much that when one writes formally. Regardless if you are writing formally, professionally, or informally, grammatical rules are applied. Use that when you need to use it and are right to, like when that presents a restrictive clause or serves as a demonstrative pronoun. Use any other instances of that, remove them.
Climate change can be a contentious issue.
Better: Climate change may be a controversial topic
Awkward: They promised that they would consult the whole team in the future.
They made a commitment to include the team in future consultation.
Know when to use which vs. that
Which and that are two very different yet equally useful words to employ within your own writing. Whereas which presents added details to get a reader more interested in a sentence, that presents essential information that can completely change a sentence. They also function equally well as pronouns, avoiding redundancy. As a pronoun, however, which presents nonessential information whereasthat presents essential information.
Understanding how to use which and that properly is a useful ability that will strengthen your writing. If you ever need to know whether to use which in a sentence, Grammarly is able to assist by offering recommendations and detecting errors in your text.
Which vs. that FAQs
What’s the main difference between which and that?
The primary distinction between which and that lies in the fact that which presents non-essential information and that presents essential information. Another way to say this is that clauses introduced by which provide interest, yet do not affect a sentence’s meaning.
Can you use which and that interchangeably?
No, you cannot switch back and forth between which and that. Which and that differ in meaning, even though they overlap somewhat in function from a part-of-speech standpoint because they serve different purposes grammatically
How do you use commas with which and that?
Non-restrictive clauses, those containing which, are separated from the rest of a sentence by commas. Restrictive clauses, those containing that, are not punctuated.
What’s an easy way to remember how to use which vs. that? The simplest approach to remember when to use which or that in a sentence is to eliminate the clause in which one uses which or that and determine if it altered the meaning of the sentence. If it did, use that.
