Using which or that in a sentence for each word phrase

Main Which vs. That Takeaways:

• Use that in defining clauses. These are essential to the sentence because if you remove this kind of clause, the meaning of the sentence changes.
• Use which in non-defining clauses. These are not essential to the sentence because if you remove this kind of clause, the meaning of the sentence doesn’t’ change.
• Commas usually offset non-defining clauses.
• Use the mnemonic “sandwich crusts aren’t essential” to remember that “which” and non-defining clauses go together.

What is the Difference Between Which and That?

Use that to indicate something specific. It usually introduces a defining clause that doesn’t need commas. On the other hand, use which to add more information about something specific. It usually introduces a non-defining clause that requires a comma before which and after the last word in the clause.

What is the Rule for Using That or Which?

Here is a quick and easy rule for using that or which correctly: if you remove the clause and the meaning of the sentence changes, use that without commas. If you remove the clause and the meaning of the sentence doesn’t change, use which with commas.

Let’s apply this rule for using which vs. that with our apple examples:

How Do You Remember the Difference Between Which and That?

That is used with a restrictive clause. The latter is the part of the sentence that you can’t remove, otherwise it would leave it with an incomplete thought. Which is used with a non-restrictive clause, or the part of the sentence that you can remove without changing its meaning. If you want to easily remember the difference and use the correct word in your sentence, follow this simple tip:

Remove the word or phrase that comes after where you’re supposed to place that or which in a sentence. If it changes the meaning of the sentence or renders it incomplete, then use “that.” If the sentence’s meaning remains intact, then use “which.”

Take for example the sentence: “It snowed last night, _____ was unexpected because it was not in the weather forecast.” Let’s remove the phrase that comes after the blank.

Does removing the phrase change the meaning of the sentence? Are we left with an incomplete thought?

The answer is NO because the phrase “It snowed last night” is an independent clause and is already considered a complete sentence. Following the tip we provided, you need to use “which” to join the non-restrictive clause “was unexpected because it was not in the weather forecast” with the independent clause “It snowed last night.”

Here’s another example:

Does the remaining clause express a complete thought? If the answer is yes, use which. If the answer is no, use that.

When to use That

A defining clause is also known as an essential clause or a restrictive clause. That’s because it adds essential information to the sentence. We’re “restricted” from removing it from the sentence. Without it, the meaning would change.

The example above contains a defining clause. The phrase “that have a wormhole” defines exactly which apples I’m talking about.

To confirm that this phrase is a defining clause, try removing it from the sentence:

The meaning of the sentence changed.

For example, instead of talking about apples with wormholes specifically, I might be talking about apples in general. Without this defining clause, it’s not clear.

Therefore, we confirmed that this is a defining clause. And as a result, that is the correct word to use.

When to use Which

A non-defining clause is also known as a nonessentialclause or nonrestrictive clause. It’s not essential to the meaning of the sentence, so we’re not restricted from removing it. Without it, you might lose some fun details or interesting “color” but the core meaning wouldn’t change.

Conversely, the example contains a non-defining clause. The phrase “which are my favorite fruit” does not define which apples I’m talking about.

Instead, it gives additional information about apples in general.

Let’s confirm this phrase is a non-defining clause by removing it from the sentence. The sentence should still make perfect sense without it.

And it does. Without this phrase, the sentence still makes perfect sense. Therefore, which with commas is the correct choice here.

Pro Tip: Some non-defining clauses are easy to spot because they’re offset by commas or parentheses.

Examples of Which vs. That in a Sentence

In this example, “that has bad breath” is a defining clause because it’s defining something about the dog.

The writer may have several dogs, but he or she is specifically talking about the one that has bad breath. That is the right choice in this case.

Here, we know “thatare hybrid” is an essential phrase. Without it, the phrase “cars use less fuel” has a different meaning.

Since “thatare hybrid” is a restrictive clause, we’re right to introduce it using that.

Tara’s shoes are bright green, whether we know that she bought them on vacation or not.

That means “whichshe bought while on vacation” is a nonrestrictive phrase, and which is the correct word to use.

While it’s interesting to know where the author found the nail, it’s not essential.

If you omit “whichwas left outside a construction site,” the meaning of the sentence remains. Which is the right choice.

Using That vs. Which With Prepositions

Sometimes you may see thatorwhich paired with another introductory word. The same rules apply even if thatorwhich follows a preposition, such asby, for, or on.

Another Trick to Remember That vs. Which: The “Sandwhich”

When I was a kid, I wasn’t a big fan of crusts. Whenever I made a sandwich, removed the crust from the bread.

As an adult, I’ve made peace with crusts, but they still help me remember how to use that vs. which in a sentence.

Just like you can remove sandwich crusts because they’re not essential sandwhich, you can remove which clauses because they’re not essential to the sentence.

If you remove the sandwich crusts, the core of the sandwich doesn’t change. It’s still a sandwich and probably still delicious.

Similarly, if you remove the which clause, the core of the sentence doesn’t change. You’ve might lose little a little bit of detail, but the meaning stays the same.

What’s more, commas usually contain a nonessential or non-defining clause. Think of these commas as the bread on either side of the which clause sandwich.

Therefore, just associate which with sandwich to easily remember when to use which.

There are many ways to use which or that in a sentence. The important thing is to be sure you’re using them correctly. That means sticking to which when you have a nonessential or nonrestrictive clause and using that for essential or restrictive clauses.

If ever you’re not sure whether to use which vs. that, remove the clause and see if the meaning of the sentence changes.

• Did the meaning change? Then use that.
• Is the meaning the same? Then use which with commas.

Is it Which or That? Test Your Knowledge!

Read More: Affect Vs. Effect: How To Choose The Correct Word

For two such common words, ‘that’ and ‘which’ cause a lot of headaches. This is probably because UK and American English differ slightly in terms of how they’re used. But what are these differences? And how should you use ‘that’ and ‘which’ in your written work? Let’s take a look.

Relative Clauses

‘That’ and ‘which’ are both relative pronouns. This means they are used to introduce information in a sentence that tells us more about a noun.

For example, if we say ‘the cat is outside’, nothing in the sentence specifies which cat we mean. It could be any cat.

But if we say ‘the cat that stole your lunch is outside’, the relative clause ‘that stole your lunch’ gives us an idea about which cat we’ve spotted.

To explain the difference between ‘that’ and ‘which’, we need to look at restrictive and non-restrictive relative clauses.

Restrictive and Non-Restrictive Relative Clauses

A restrictive relative clause restricts the meaning of what we’re saying. For example, the restrictive clause in this sentence is ‘that I built’:

The house that I built survived the storm.

In this case, ‘that I built’ is restrictive because it specifies the particular house we’re talking about. This implies that we’re using this extra information to pick one house out of several possible houses.

A non-restrictive clause, on the other hand, simply provides more information about the thing we’re talking about rather than identifying it:

The house, which I built, survived the storm.

In this case, the relative clause is set apart with commas because it isn’t essential to the sentence. We thus use non-restrictive clauses if there is no doubt about what we’re discussing but want to provide extra detail.

In summary, we can think of these different clause types as follows:

• Restrictive clauses identify the thing we are talking about, so they cannot be removed from a sentence without changing its meaning.
• Non-restrictive clauses provide extra, non-essential detail about the thing we’re talking about. As such, we set this information apart from the main sentence with a comma or pair of commas.

Word Choice: That or Which?

You may have noticed that we use ‘that’ for a restrictive clause and ‘which’ for a non-restrictive clause in the examples above. This is the standard usage in American English, so you will see restrictive clauses written like this a lot.

In British English, however, ‘that’ and ‘which’ can both be used for restrictive clauses, allowing for a bit more flexibility. But in both the US and the UK, non-restrictive clauses are only written with ‘which’.

If you want to avoid confusion, use ‘that’ for restrictive clauses and ‘which’ for non-restrictive clauses. But this is a matter of style for restrictive clauses, especially in the UK. Keep the following in mind if you’re unsure:

Last week’s grammar tip focused on the rules for using who vs. that. This week, we will learn the rules to guide us on when to use that vs. which.

NOTE: We feel that maintaining the distinction between that and which in essential and nonessential phrases and clauses is useful, even though the principle is sometimes disregarded by experienced writers.

Rule 1: That may refer to people, animals, groups, or things. (As mentioned last week, who is preferred when referring to people.)

Rule 2: Which refers to animals, groups, or things.

Since that and which may each refer to animals, groups, or things, how do we know when to use that and when to use which?

Rule 3: That introduces essential clauses while which introduces nonessential clauses.

Example: I do not trust editorials that claim racial differences in intelligence.
We would not know which editorials were being discussed without the that clause.

Example: The editorial claiming racial differences in intelligence, which appeared in the Sunday newspaper, upset me.
The editorial is already identified. Therefore, which begins a nonessential clause.

NOTE: Essential clauses do not have commas surrounding them, while nonessential clauses are surrounded by commas.

Example: Chess is a game that requires intense concentration.
The second part of the sentence is essential for conveying the meaning of the sentence.

Rule 4: If this, that, these, or those has already introduced an essential clause, you may use which to introduce the next clause, whether it is essential or nonessential.

Example: Those responses to the questions, which were not well thought out, eliminated him from further job consideration.

Rule 5: Try not to use that twice in a row in a sentence.

Example: That is a problem that can’t be solved without a calculator.
This sentence would be better written as: That is a problem which can’t be solved without a calculator.
The best way to write the sentence would be: That problem can’t be solved without a calculator.

Example: That is a promise that cannot be broken.
Again, the above sentence could be rewritten as: That is a promise which cannot be broken.
The best way to rewrite it would be: That promise cannot be broken.

Rule 6: Whenever you have more than one that or which in a sentence, see if you can rewrite it in a way that removes at least one that or which.

Pop Quiz
Choose whether that or which is correct for each sentence. Then determine whether the sentence should contain commas. If so, place the commas in the correct location in the sentence.
1. Hannah is on the team that/which won the county softball championship.
2. The Fairview Hawks softball team that/which my daughter played on won the county softball championship.
3.  The Golden Gate Bridge that/which was completed in 1937 is considered by many to be the most beautiful bridge in the world.
4. The bridge that/which connects the city of San Francisco with Marin County was completed in 1937.
5. That rooster that/which crows every morning at dawn is going to drive me crazy.
6. That is a point that/which is worth considering.

Quiz Answers
1. Hannah is on the team that won the county softball championship.
2. The Fairview Hawks softball team, which my daughter played on, won the county softball championship.
3. The Golden Gate Bridge, which was completed in 1937, is considered by many to be the most beautiful bridge in the world.
4. The bridge that connects the city of San Francisco with Marin County was completed in 1937.
5. That rooster, which crows every morning at dawn, is going to drive me crazy.
6. That is a point which is worth considering. (“That is a point that is worth considering” is also acceptable, but the best answer is either “That point is worth considering.” OR “That is a point worth considering.”)

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