{"id":13806,"date":"2014-02-13T23:27:52","date_gmt":"2014-02-13T23:27:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/?page_id=13806"},"modified":"2026-04-24T15:07:58","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T20:07:58","slug":"use-of-which-that-and-who","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/use-of-which-that-and-who\/","title":{"rendered":"When to Use That, Which, and Who"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t\t\t<div id=\"mmDeferVideoEncompass_FCMb5sjCDYc\" style=\"position: relative;\">\n\t\t\t<picture>\n\t\t\t\t<source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/circle-play-duotone.webp\" type=\"image\/webp\">\n\t\t\t\t<source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/circle-play-duotone.png\" type=\"image\/jpeg\"> \n\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"eager\" id=\"videoThumbnailImage_FCMb5sjCDYc\" data-source-videoID=\"FCMb5sjCDYc\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/circle-play-duotone.png\" alt=\"When to Use That, Which, and Who Video\" height=\"464\" width=\"825\" class=\"size-full\" data-matomo-title = \"When to Use That, Which, and Who\">\n\t\t\t<\/picture>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<style>img#videoThumbnailImage_FCMb5sjCDYc:hover {cursor:pointer;} img#videoThumbnailImage_FCMb5sjCDYc {background-size:contain;background-image:url(\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/updated-when-to-use-that-which-and-who-64bec89522592.webp\");}<\/style>\n\t\t\t<script defer>\n\t\t\t  jQuery(\"img#videoThumbnailImage_FCMb5sjCDYc\").click(function() {\n\t\t\t\tlet videoId = jQuery(this).attr(\"data-source-videoID\");\n\t\t\t\tlet helpTag = '<div id=\"mmDeferVideoYTMessage_FCMb5sjCDYc\" style=\"display: none;position: absolute;top: -24px;width: 100%;text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-style: italic;font-size: small;border-top: 1px solid #fc0;\">Having trouble? <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v='+videoId+'\" target=\"_blank\">Click here to watch on YouTube.<\/a><\/span><\/div>';\n\t\t\t\tlet tag = document.createElement(\"iframe\");\n\t\t\t\ttag.id = \"yt\" + videoId;\n\t\t\t\ttag.src = \"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/\" + videoId + \"?autoplay=1&controls=1&wmode=opaque&rel=0&egm=0&iv_load_policy=3&hd=0&enablejsapi=1\";\n\t\t\t\ttag.frameborder = 0;\n\t\t\t\ttag.allow = \"autoplay; fullscreen\";\n\t\t\t\ttag.width = this.width;\n\t\t\t\ttag.height = this.height;\n\t\t\t\ttag.setAttribute(\"data-matomo-title\",\"When to Use That, Which, and Who\");\n\t\t\t\tjQuery(\"div#mmDeferVideoEncompass_FCMb5sjCDYc\").html(tag);\n\t\t\t\tjQuery(\"div#mmDeferVideoEncompass_FCMb5sjCDYc\").prepend(helpTag);\n\t\t\t\tsetTimeout(function(){jQuery(\"div#mmDeferVideoYTMessage_FCMb5sjCDYc\").css(\"display\", \"block\");}, 2000);\n\t\t\t  });\n\t\t\t  \n\t\t\t<\/script>\n\t\t\n<div class=\"accordion\"><input id=\"transcript\" type=\"checkbox\" class=\"spoiler_button\" \/><label for=\"transcript\">Transcript<\/label>\n<div class=\"spoiler\" id=\"transcript-spoiler\">\n<p>Hey, guys! Welcome to this Mometrix video over the proper use of <em>which<\/em>, <em>that<\/em>, and <em>who<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Being able to distinguish each of these words is very important and can help you avoid being unknowingly insensitive as an author. For instance, if you refer to a person as a &#8220;that,&#8221; rather than a &#8220;who,&#8221; your audience could potentially read into that and think that you are being inconsiderate.<\/p>\n<p>So, let\u2019s take a look at when to properly use each and hopefully avoid any mix-up.<\/p>\n<p>For starters, it\u2019s important to know that <em>which<\/em>, <em>that<\/em>, and <em>who<\/em> may all operate as relative <a class=\"ylist\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/nouns-and-pronouns\/\">pronouns<\/a> within a clause or within a sentence. A relative pronoun just means that it references back to a person or thing already mentioned before.<\/p>\n<p>Well, if they are all relative pronouns then how do we distinguish which one to use?<\/p>\n<p>Ask yourself this question: What is the relative pronoun referring back to? A person or a thing?<\/p>\n<p>Look at these examples:<\/p>\n<div class=\"transcriptcallout\">Celebrities are regular people who shop at grocery stores just like we do.<\/div>\n<p>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\n<em>Who<\/em> is the relative pronoun referring back to <em>people<\/em>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"transcriptcallout\">You need to bring your own workout clothes which you will need for gym class.<\/div>\n<p>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\n<em>Which<\/em> is the relative <a class=\"ylist\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/pronoun-antecedent-agreement\/\">pronoun<\/a> referring back to <em>clothes<\/em>, which is a thing.<\/p>\n<div class=\"transcriptcallout\">I wore my running shoes that have the better insoles.<\/div>\n<p>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\n<em>That<\/em> is the relative pronoun referring back to <em>shoes<\/em>, which is a thing.<\/p>\n<p>We can see by looking at these examples that <em>which<\/em> and <em>that<\/em> are relative pronouns that should be used when referring to things. In fact, the primary difference between <em>who<\/em>, <em>that<\/em>, or <em>which<\/em> is who should only be used when referring to people or a person. <em>Who<\/em> should never be used when referring to things.<\/p>\n<p>Something that is worth noting is that a company or organization is made up of people, and typically when something happens within that company, it is the people who make it happen. So, you would also use <em>who<\/em> when referring to organizations. For example:<\/p>\n<div class=\"transcriptcallout\" style=\"text-align: left\">Yesterday, PerCos management, who just received their bonuses, bought lunch for everyone in the office.<\/div>\n<p>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\n<em>Who<\/em> is the relative pronoun referring to <em>management<\/em> which is a group of people.<\/p>\n<p>However, there are cases in which the company or organization is not referenced as a group of people. So, we need to read carefully. For example:<\/p>\n<div class=\"transcriptcallout\" style=\"text-align: left\">PerCo, the company that was voted best workplace environment in 2018, will be moving to a different location.<\/div>\n<p>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\nNow, in this example <em>that<\/em> is the relative pronoun referring to <em>company<\/em>, which is not specifically referring to a person or people.<\/p>\n<p>Alright, hopefully at this point it\u2019s very clear when to use <em>who<\/em>, and that <em>which<\/em> and <em>that<\/em> should only be used when referencing things. But, let\u2019s look more closely at when to use <em>which<\/em> and when to use <em>that<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>In US English, a majority of rules and guidelines will suggest that you ought to use <em>that<\/em> when introducing a restrictive relative clause. Now, remember, a restrictive relative clause is a clause that, if removed, would make the sentence not make sense.<\/p>\n<p>So, let\u2019s look at some examples:<\/p>\n<div class=\"transcriptcallout\">He took the route that was shortest.<\/div>\n<p>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\nIt would be incorrect to say, \u201cHe took the route which was shortest.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"transcriptcallout\">He put on the shoes that best went with his outfit.<\/div>\n<p>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\nIf he said, \u201cHe put on the shoes which best went with his outfit,\u201d this would be considered incorrect.<\/p>\n<p>Now, you would use <em>which<\/em> when you have a non-restrictive relative clause. A non-restrictive relative clause is a clause that just adds more information to the sentence, but doesn\u2019t change the meaning or structure of the sentence if it were to be removed.<\/p>\n<p>Here are some examples:<\/p>\n<div class=\"transcriptcallout\">Her doll, which she got when she was younger, had mud spots all over it.<\/div>\n<p>\n&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"transcriptcallout\" style=\"text-align: left\">The outfit she was wearing, which she got for her birthday, was bright and colorful.<\/div>\n<p>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\nIt may be helpful for you to take some time to practice writing your own sentences using what we just learned to properly incorporate <em>which<\/em>, <em>that<\/em>, and <em>who<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>I hope that this video has been beneficial to you! See you guys next time!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"home-buttons\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/reading-comprehension\/\">Return to Reading Comprehension Videos<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Return to Reading Comprehension Videos<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":185957,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":{"0":"post-13806","1":"page","2":"type-page","3":"status-publish","4":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"page_category-reading-comprehension-videos","7":"page_category-video-pages-for-study-course-sidebar-ad","8":"page_type-video","9":"subject_matter-english"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/13806","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13806"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/13806\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":292313,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/13806\/revisions\/292313"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/185957"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13806"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}