That vs Which

The difference between that and which explained 

What’s the difference between ‘that’ and ‘which’? 

The short answer is: we use ‘that’ with essential information, and ‘which’ with additional information. 

Can which and that be used interchangeably?

No, ‘which’ and ‘that’ are not interchangeable. 

The similarity is that both words, ‘which’ and ‘that’ are used in relative clauses, but they function in different ways. Let’s look into more details as well as some examples. 

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This vs That – Explained

 

 

When to use that and which. Answered.

That vs which explained

The most common questions about ‘that’ and ‘which’ are: What is the difference between ‘that’ and ‘which’? Can I use which and that interchangeably? 

 

When to use ‘that’?

You can use ‘that’ to indicate a specific object.

That is also more formal. 

Sometimes it can be omitted in restrictive clauses.

 
Example of ‘that’ in a sentence

I really liked the film that we watched last night. 

 

When to use ‘which’?

You can use ‘which’ when you want to add more information about an object. Which is usually used in nonrestrictive clauses, meaning that the information following ‘which’ could be deleted and the sentence would be still a complete sentence. 

Example of ‘which’ in a sentence

The film, which is playing in the cinema near me this week, really made me think. 

 
Summary

Above we’ve answered the question: What is the rule for using that or which?

Briefly speaking, ‘that’ is used with clauses expressing essential information, while ‘which’ is used to express additional information. However, this rule is more strongly observed in American English than in British English. It also has less importance in informal English, so you can hear native English speakers using ‘which’ and ‘that’ in everyday language not exactly in the ways described above. 

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