2021-02-11
ศัพท์ น่าสับสน ชุด T – That & which & who
แนะนำการใช้ ตามที่ส่วนใหญ่ใช้ แต่ละท้องถิ่น
ความหมาย อาจผันแปร ตาม ตำแหน่ง/หน้าที่ ในประโยค
Dictionary.com
ออกเสียง that = ‘THAT’ unstressed= ‘THUHT’
ออกเสียง which = ‘WHICH’ or ‘WICH’
ออกเสียง who = ‘HOO’
Dictionary.com
“That” vs. “Which”: When Do You Use Each?
To understand when to use that and when to use which,
it’s important to keep in mind the difference between restrictive and nonrestrictive clauses.
In formal American English,
that is used in restrictive clauses, and
which is used in nonrestrictive clauses.
Not sure what that means? Let’s find out!
How do you use that?
A restrictive clause contains information that limits the meaning
of a noun and is necessary in a sentence.
For example,
in the sentence Any book that you like must be good,
the clause that you like is restrictive
because it identifies which book:
the one that you like.
Take a look at the meaning of the sentence if the clause is removed:
any book must be good.
Without the clause, the meaning of the sentence is altered,
and therefore, the clause is needed.
Note that in restrictive clauses,
sometimes that can be omitted.
Any book you like must be good is also often used,
especially in informal settings.
Examples of that in use
In the following sentences,
the precise meaning is altered if each restrictive clause is removed:
- The song that you performed right before intermission is my favorite.
- I think I finally caught a glimpse of the bird that is building a nest in the window.
- Do you remember the name of the book that Carla recommended to us?
How do you use which?
A nonrestrictive clause, on the other hand,
is used to supply additional information that is not essential
to understanding the main point of the sentence.
Consider this example:
The book, which I found at a dusty used bookstore, was a real page-turner.
The clause which I found at a dusty used bookstore is nonrestrictive
because it adds extra information, almost like an aside.
You could delete the details about the bookstore,
and the sentence would still make sense.
In this example, which is preceded by a comma;
nonrestrictive clauses tend to follow punctuation
like a comma, a dash, or parenthesis.
Which is only used in restrictive clauses if it is preceded by a preposition.
Examples of which in use
In these examples, the information provided by each nonrestrictive clause is not essential.
- This sandwich, which has my favorite pickles, is delicious!
- Juan’s birthday party, which was going to be held at the park, has been postponed.
- These pairs of pants, which no longer fit me, should be given away.
Remembering the difference
Luckily there’s an easy way to remember whether to use that or which.
If the relative clause contains information
that is not essential to the meaning of the sentence,
and is also preceded by a comma, a dash, or parenthesis,
it’s probably nonrestrictive,
so use which. If not, odds are it’s restrictive, so use that.
However, the above distinction is a rule of formal
Ameri Collins COBUILD English Usage can English,
and is not as strictly observed in British English or in informal English of any type.
Dictionary.com
WORDS OFTEN CONFUSED WITH WHO
The typical usage guide statement about the choice
between who and whom says that the choice must be determined
by the grammar of the clause within which this pronoun occurs.
Who is the appropriate form for the subject of a sentence or clause:
Who are you? The voters who elected him have not been disappointed.
Whom is the objective form: Whom did you ask?
To whom are we obliged for this assistance?
This method of selecting the appropriate form
is generally characteristic of formal writing
and is usually followed in edited prose.
In most speech and writing, however,
since who or whom often occurs at the beginning of the sentence or clause,
there is a strong tendency to choose who no matter what its function.
Even in edited prose, who occurs at least ten times as often as whom,
regardless of grammatical function.
Only when it directly follows a preposition is whom more likely to occur than who :
Mr. Erickson is the man to whom you should address your request.
In natural informal speech, whom is quite rare.
Who were you speaking to? is far more likely to occur than the “correct”
To whom were you speaking? or Whom were you speaking to?
However, the notion that whom is somehow more “correct”
or elegant than who leads some speakers to make an inappropriate hypercorrection:
Whom are you? The person whom is in charge has left the office. See also than.
Dictionary.com
USAGE NOTE FOR WHICH
The relative pronoun which refers to inanimate things and to animals:
The house, which we had seen only from a distance, impressed us even more as we approached.
The horses which pulled the coach were bay geldings.
Formerly, which referred to persons, but this use,
while still heard (a man which I know), is nonstandard.
Contrary to the teachings of some usage guides,
which introduces both restrictive and nonrestrictive clauses.
The “rule” that which can be used only with nonrestrictive clauses has no basis in fact.
In edited prose three-fourths of the clauses in which
which is the relative pronoun are restrictive:
A novel which he later wrote quickly became a bestseller. See also that.
COLLINS ENGLISH DICTIONARY - COMPLETE & UNABRIDGED 2012 DIGITAL EDITION
USAGE FOR THAT
Precise stylists maintain a distinction between that and which:
that is used as a relative pronoun in restrictive clauses
and which in nonrestrictive clauses.
In the book that is on the table is mine,
the clause that is on the table is used to distinguish
one particular book (the one on the table)
from another or others (which may be anywhere, but not on the table).
In the book, which is on the table, is mine,
the which clause is merely descriptive or incidental.
The more formal the level of language,
the more important it is to preserve the distinction
between the two relative pronouns;
but in informal or colloquial usage,
the words are often used interchangeably
Merriam-Webster Dictionary
that, which, or who?: Usage Guide
Pronoun (2)
In current usage that refers to persons or things,
which chiefly to things and rarely to subhuman entities,
who chiefly to persons and sometimes to animals.
The notion that that should not be used to refer to persons is without foundation;
such use is entirely standard.
Because that has no genitive form or construction,
of which or whose must be substituted for it in contexts that call for the genitive.
Merriam-Webster Dictionary
That vs. Which: Usage Guide
Pronoun (2)
Although some handbooks say otherwise,
that and which are both regularly used to introduce restrictive clauses in edited prose.
Which is also used to introduce nonrestrictive clauses.
That was formerly used to introduce nonrestrictive clauses;
such use is virtually nonexistent in present-day edited prose,
though it may occasionally be found in poetry.
Common Errors In English Usage Dictionary
That & which
I must confess that I do not myself observe the distinction
between “that” and “which.”
Furthermore, there is little evidence that
this distinction is or has ever been regularly made
in past centuries by careful writers of English.
However, a small but impassioned group of authorities has urged the distinction;
so here is the information you will need to pacify them.
If you are defining something by distinguishing it
from a larger class of which it is a member, use “that”:
“I chose the lettuce that had the fewest wilted leaves.”
When the general class is not being limited or defined in some way,
then “which” is appropriate:
“He made an iceberg Caesar salad, which didn’t taste quite right.”
Note that “which” is normally preceded by a comma,
but “that” is not.
Comment on the issue by Jack Lynch
Common Errors In English Usage Dictionary
That kind & that kind of
Although expressions like “that kind thing”
are common in some dialects,
standard English requires “of” in this kind of phrase.
Collins COBUILD English Usage
that
That has three main uses:
1. used for referring back
You use it in various ways to refer to something that has already been mentioned
or that is already known.
When that is used like this, it is always pronounced /ðæt/.
I was so proud of that car!
How about natural gas? Is that an alternative?
See that - those
2. used in that-clauses
That is used at the beginning of a special type of clause called a that-clause.
In that-clauses, that is usually pronounced /ðət/.
He said that he was sorry.
Mrs Kaul announced that the lecture would now begin.
3. used in relative clauses
That is also used at the beginning of another type of clause
called a defining relative clause.
In defining relative clauses, that is usually pronounced /ðət/.
I reached the gate that opened onto the lake.
Collins COBUILD English Usage
That – those
That and those are used in different ways
when you are referring to people, things, events, or periods of time.
They can both be determiners or pronouns.
In this use, that is pronounced /ðæt/.
Those is the plural form of that.
1. referring back
You can use that or those to refer to people, things, or events
that have already been mentioned or that are already known about.
I knew that meeting would be difficult.
'Did you see him?' – 'No.' – 'That's a pity.'
Not all crimes are committed for those reasons.
There are still a few problems with the software,
but we're working hard to remove those.
2. things you can see
You can also use that or those to refer to people or things
that you can see but that are not close to you.
Look at that bird!
Don't be afraid of those people.
3. 'that', referring to a person
However, you don't usually use that as a pronoun to refer to a person.
You only use it when you are identifying someone or asking about their identity.
'Who's the woman in the red dress?' – 'That's my wife.'
Who's that?
4. saying when something happened
When you have been describing an event,
you can use that with a word like day, morning, or afternoon
to say that something else happened during the same day.
There were no classes that day.
Paula had been shopping that morning.
You can also use that with week, month, or year
to show that something happened during the same week, month, or year.
There was a lot of extra work to do that week.
Later that month they attended another party at Maidenhead.
5. 'this' and 'these'
This and these are used in some similar ways to that and those.
See this - that
Collins COBUILD English Usage
This – that
This and that are determiners or pronouns.
The plural form of this is these.
The plural form of that is those.
See this - these, that - those
This entry deals with the similarities and differences
between the ways in which these words are used.
1. referring back
This, these, that, and those are all used for referring to people, things, or events
that have already been mentioned.
It is more common to use this and these than that and those.
New machines are more expensive and this is something one has to consider.
So, for all these reasons, my advice is to be very, very careful.
You use that or those when you are referring to something
for the second time in a sentence, using the same noun.
I know that what I say to a person is seldom what that person hears.
Students suggest books for the library, and normally we're quite happy to get those books.
You usually use that, rather than 'this',
to refer to a statement that someone has just made.
'She was terribly afraid of offending anyone.' – 'That's right.'
'That's a good point,' he said in response to my question.
2. present and past
You can use this or that to talk about events or situations.
You use this to refer to a situation that is continuing to exist,
or to an event that is continuing to take place.
'My God,' I said, 'This is awful.'
This whole business has gone on too long.
You use that to refer to an event or situation that has taken place recently.
I knew that meeting would be difficult.
That was a terrible air crash last week.
3. closeness
You use this or these to refer to people or things
that are very near to you.
For example, you use this to refer to an object you are holding in your hand,
or something on a desk or table in front of you.
'What is this?' she said, picking up the parcel on my desk.
Wait a minute. I just have to sort these books out.
You use that or those to refer to people or things
that you can see or hear, but that are not very near to you,
so that, for example, you cannot put out your hand and touch them.
Look at that bird!
Can you move those boots off there?
When you are comparing two things
and one of them is nearer to you than the other,
you can use this to refer to the one that is nearer
and that to refer to the one that is further away.
This one's nice but I don't like that one much.
Dictionary of Problem Words and Expressions
That & which & who
Of these relative pronouns,
that is used to refer to persons, animals, or things;
which to animals and things, not persons;
and who (whom) to person only.
That is used in restrictive clauses
(those that define and limit what precedes by providing information necessary to full understanding):
“A man that pays his bills promptly is liked by everyone.”
Which, who,and whom are used largely in introducing nonrestrictive
(not-defining, not-limiting) clauses:
“This man, who pays his bills promptly, is liked by everyone.”
That is often used in illiterate or wordy expressions.
For example,
“that there” is both wordy and illiterate (that, there child).
“That is to say” is a wordy way to express “I mean” or “namely.”
That and which (especially which) are often used in such a way
as to create doubt about the antecedent.
Avoid saying, for example,
“They are coming if their daughter is well enough, which I doubt,”
because which has no definite antecedent.
Say, instead ….is well enough.
However, I doubt that she will be.”
See also THIS.
