Using Which, Who and That
The relative pronoun 'who' should be used for people; whereas, 'which' should be used for things. The relative pronoun
'that' can be used for either, but it is quite unfashionable to use 'that' for people. (The consensus seems to be that using 'that' for people is still acceptable in speech and informal writing, but avoid doing it in formal writing.)
Examples:
 The man who swam the channel.
("who swam the channel" is a clause. It adds information about the man.)
The PC which keeps breaking down is under guarantee until March.
("which keeps breaking down" is a clause. It adds information about the PC.)
The vicar which was on BBC1 last night used to be our local vicar.
(The vicar is a person. Therefore, "who" should be used and not "which". "That"
would have been okay.)
In Kent, a man who shot a swan was jailed for 6 months.
Please accept my resignation. I don't want to belong to any club that will accept me as a member.
(Groucho Marx quote)
(The club is a thing. Therefore, "which will accept me as a member"
would have been okay. Remember, "that" can replace
"who" or "which".)
Commas with Which and Who
The biggest issue for native English speakers is when to use a comma before
which and who. Unfortunately, the ruling is not simple. It is covered in the
following two lessons:
When
to use commas with which and who.
When
not to use commas with which, that and who.
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WHAT ARE THEY?
'Which' and 'who' are 'relative
pronouns'. There are others, but these two are the most common. (See lesson
Pronouns for more
information.)
The other one covered in this section is 'that'. All three (which, who and
that) are used to add information to a sentence.
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NOT AT THE START OF A SENTENCE
Do not start a sentence with words like 'which' and 'who' (unless it is a
question).
Living in Scotland is cheaper than living in England. Which is
lucky, because I live in Dumfries.
should be "...extra room, which gives..."
(magazine article)
WHOSE AND WHO'S
Who's is a contraction of either who is or who has. It has no other uses.
Who's coming to fix the bed?
(who is)
Who's eaten the last muffin?
(who has)
I met the inspector who's delivering tomorrow's briefing.
(who is)
If you cannot substitute the who's in your sentence with either
who is or who has, then it is wrong.
Whose, on the other hand, usually sits before a noun.
Whose bike was expensive?
(bike - noun)
("Whose" in this example is an interrogative
pronoun.)
Carl knows the girl whose phone was stolen.
("Whose" in this example is a relative
pronoun.)
This is covered more in the lesson Who's
and Whose.
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