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Relative Pronoun
Message from habiboullah posted on 06-12-2011 at 20:49:33 (D | E | F)
Hello,
Please explain it to me ; Why is "Which" incorrect in this question?
Chairs _______ don’t have cushions are uncomfortable to sit on.
Answer: that
Thank you for your help.
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Edited by lucile83 on 06-12-2011 21:57
Message from habiboullah posted on 06-12-2011 at 20:49:33 (D | E | F)
Hello,
Please explain it to me ; Why is "Which" incorrect in this question?
Chairs _______ don’t have cushions are uncomfortable to sit on.
Answer: that
Thank you for your help.
-------------------
Edited by lucile83 on 06-12-2011 21:57
Re: Relative Pronoun from willy, posted on 06-12-2011 at 21:06:25 (D | E)
Hello!
It is a defining, restrictive, identifying relative clause (you need it to understand the sentence).
Re: Relative Pronoun from notrepere, posted on 07-12-2011 at 06:20:45 (D | E)
HelloWilly is correct. In other words, if you take out "that don't have cushions" the sentence is no longer true.
Chairs that don't have cushions are uncomfortable to sit on.
If you remove "that don't have cushions", you get:
Chairs are uncomfortable to sit on.
This changes the meaning of the sentence. It is only chairs that don't have cushions that are uncomfortable. So, it's called a "restrictive clause" and therefore you should use "that".
This chair, which once belonged to my dad, is uncomfortable.
In this sentence, the "which once belonged to my dad" does not change the fact that the chair is uncomfortable. Therefore it is non-restrictive and you should use "which". Usually with a non-restrictive clause, there is a comma before the non-restrictive clause. If the clause comes in the middle of a sentence, then commas surround it as above.
However, there isn't 100% consensus about this, especially if it's going to create a sentence with too many "thats". In some cases, if a sentence contains more than one restrictive clause and "that" has already introduced that clause, you may be permitted to use "which" with the next clause whether it's restrictive or non-restrictive, but check with your teacher (and Lucile) first.
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Edited by notrepere on 07-12-2011 08:03
There are those who think which and that are more interchangeable, I know.
Re: Relative Pronoun from vpn123, posted on 26-12-2011 at 20:50:46 (D | E)
If a sentence calls for a hundred "thats", then that is what the sentence needs. 'Which' should never be used unless it is introducing something non-essential, as stated above. I tend to use the following test to determine the right word: use 'which' if you can add 'by the way'. For instance, "My car, which, by the way, has gone missing, is a piece of crap." 'My car is a piece of crap' is the main idea, and I am just adding in some extra info because I am a loquacious individual who complicates sentences. This issue is much easier to figure out in conversations, because intonation gives many clues that writing cannot convey.
Another common error is the use of 'promise' when 'swear' is supposed to be used. For instance, people say "I promise it's there". That is incorrect. You can only promise to do something in the future. "I swear (that) it's there" is correct usage, as is "I promise to put it there tomorrow."
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