Command English

Which or That? How to Use These Words Like a Native Speaker

Do you ever wonder when to use which or that in English? Don’t worry—you’re not alone! These two words often confuse English learners because they seem so similar. However, they have different uses, and understanding the difference will help you sound more natural and professional in your English. Let’s break it down step by step.

What Do They Mean?

Both which and that are used to join two parts of a sentence. They connect the main idea to additional information about something in the sentence. But here’s the important part: they are used in different types of clauses.

1. That is used in essential clauses.
   Essential clauses are necessary to the meaning of the sentence. If you remove the clause, the sentence doesn’t make sense or becomes unclear.
2. Which is used in non-essential clauses.
   Non-essential clauses add extra information that is not necessary for understanding the main point of the sentence. If you remove the clause, the sentence still makes sense.

Examples of That

Let’s look at some examples to understand that better:

• “The car that I bought yesterday is red.”
  In this sentence, the clause that I bought yesterday is essential because it tells us which car the speaker is talking about. Without it, we wouldn’t know if it’s the new car or an older one.
• “This is the book that I recommend.”
  Here, that I recommend is essential because it specifies which book the speaker is talking about.

Notice that that introduces clauses that help us identify or clarify something.

Examples of Which

Now, let’s look at how which is used:

• “The car, which I bought yesterday, is red.”
  In this sentence, which I bought yesterday adds extra information about the car. Even if we remove the clause, we still know the main point: the car is red.
• “This book, which is my favorite, is very interesting.”
  Here, which is my favorite is just extra information. The main point of the sentence is still clear without it: the book is interesting.

Punctuation Makes a Difference

One easy way to spot the difference is punctuation. When using which, the extra information is usually separated by commas. With that, no commas are used because the clause is essential to the sentence.

Quick Tips to Remember

• Use that for essential information that you need to understand the sentence.
• Use which for extra details that you could leave out without changing the meaning.
• Look for commas! If there are commas, you’re probably dealing with which.

Practice Time!

Here are two sentences for you to try:

1. The phone ___ I lost was very expensive.
2. My phone, ___ has a cracked screen, still works fine.

Did you get it? In the first sentence, the correct answer is that because the clause is essential. In the second sentence, the answer is which because it adds extra information.

By practicing these rules, you’ll soon master the difference between which and that! Keep learning, and don’t forget to use these tips in your writing and speaking.