Common writing question: when should I use that vs. which? The answer is easier than you think.
Believe it or not, that and which aren’t used interchangeably in a sentence, although you use them similarly. This quick writing tip will teach you exactly when to use which word in your writing. (See? I already used one of ‘em!)
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So, how are that and which different?
It’s All About the Subject
The rule is that you should use which with nonrestrictive clauses and that with restrictive clauses. A restrictive clause narrows down the subject’s identity, while a nonrestrictive clause tells you something about the subject but doesn’t directly define it.
Yeah, I know that might still be unclear. Think about it this way: when you use that or which, you’re connecting some bit of information to who or what the sentence is about. The word you choose lets us know whether you’re giving us information that’s unique to the subject, or if it’s some other interesting tidbit.
Let’s take a look at the difference with some examples.
Indicate how unique the detail is
Here’s a sentence that uses a restrictive clause:
The bookcase that has four shelves holds my most cherished books.
In this sentence, there’s only one four-shelved bookcase in my house. There may be other bookcases around, but they all have a different number of shelves. So, if I asked you to grab one of my favorite books, you’d know which shelf to go to because it’s the one with four shelves.
Here’s that same sentence with a nonrestrictive clause instead:
The bookcase, which has four shelves, holds my most cherished books.
In this sentence, I’m telling you that the bookcase with my favorite books happens to have four shelves, but that detail isn’t limited to that shelf. In other words, I could have a handful of other bookcases with four shelves, too. I’m just letting you know a little bit more about the bookcase that holds my favorite books.
Test your sentence by removing the detail
A good way to know whether you’re using the correct word is to remove the detail that the word introduces. If the sentence isn’t clear without it, you should use that. If the sentence is just fine, you should use which.
For example…
Frank’s apartment, which faces South, is available for rent.
This sentence tells us that Frank’s apartment is available for rent. Oh, and it faces South, in case you didn’t know. We can remove the detail about the direction the apartment faces because it’s not necessary in order to understand the sentence.
Frank’s apartment that faces South is available for rent.
This sentence tells us that Frank has more than one apartment, and the one that faces South is the one that’s available for rent. We can’t remove the detail about the direction the apartment faces because it’s necessary in order to discern which of Frank’s apartments we’re talking about.
Check Your Restriction
When you’re writing, make sure that you’re using that and which properly, because that one little word tells your reader a lot.
>> Use that when you’re sharing a detail that’s specific to the subject, and that can’t be removed from the sentence without causing confusion. The detail narrows down the subject to one possibility.
>> Use which when you’re sharing a detail that provides context about the subject but doesn’t define it, and that could be removed from the sentence without erasing any meaning. The detail gives us more information about the subject, but it doesn’t narrow down to one possible subject.
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